Liam Slater is a British comedian who owns a comedy club in Quintana Roo, Mexico. He is co-founder of Iguana Comedy, the self-described “largest English-speaking comedy events business in Mexico”. The group organizes stand-up shows, open mics, private events, and hotel and resort shows across 7 cities in the Riviera Maya and Yucatán: Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Tulum, Cozumel, and Merida. They also run pop-up shows in smaller towns like Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres.

So far, Iguana Comedy has booked over 200 comedians, held over 100 events (50 private events), and had more than 10,000 total attendees. Last year, they held 52 events, sold over 4,000 tickets, and sold out more than 80% of their shows, including a 100% sellout rate during peak season (November–April).

“Before Iguana, there wasn't really any English comedy in the Mexican Caribbean. We've worked over the years to build Iguana as an extension of the international comedy scene, allowing the best performers from around the world to perform in the Mexican Caribbean.”

The idea started about two and a half years ago as a single open mic in Playa del Carmen. When Liam joined about a year later, he brought marketing and tech experience that helped expand the project.

Many places in the region simply don’t have dedicated comedy clubs. “Some comedians who are famous in Mexico perform in taco shops because there’s nowhere else to do comedy” Liam said. “We’ve done shows on rooftops, in people’s houses, we took over a smoke shop and turned it into a comedy venue…and you may look ridiculous bringing comedy gear onto a boat,” Liam laughed. “But you do what you have to.”

In the past, they solely operated from restaurants and bars. But after selling out shows in these areas for the past six months, Iguana Comedy is building their own club in Playa del Carmen.

“It’s extremely touristy here,” Liam explained. “There’s a huge upswing and a huge downswing depending on the season.” But Playa offers something Cancun doesn’t: a stable community.  “Cancun has tourists who stay for a week and never leave their resort. Playa has locals, expats, and digital nomads. That makes building an audience easier.”

Having their own physical location means control over ticket quantities and prices, better brand exposure, and a dedicated climate controlled space. “There's only so much we can ask for when convincing people to sit without air conditioning under a Palapa in June in the Caribbean”.

There’s a very easy way to build this business the wrong way. In fact, the Riviera Maya is known for catering to the American tourist who’s there for resort chicken tenders and the infinity pool. Iguana could have built a comedy scene for that market.

Instead, they are dedicated to supporting a local scene. They offer sizable discounts for Mexican nationals who attend their shows. All of their new online content will include Spanish subtitles in 2026 and will be dubbed in 2027. They have plans for 2 Spanish-language shows per month in underserved areas.

If a comedian visits Cancun or Playa del Carmen on vacation, Liam says they can reach out for stage time. Iguana may add them to a show while they’re in town. In some cases, Iguana arranges a small tour or shows and sometimes a deal around accommodation or logistics.

They also fly out some comedians for their lineup and cover travel, accommodations, and pay them through the shows. Recently, they hosted Andre de Freitas, a New York headliner who regularly performs at the Comedy Cellar.

One perk is professional recording. “All our cameras are Netflix-approved. We run three cameras, direct audio lines, boom mics for the audience, everything.”

Even if a comedian doesn’t make a large fee, they leave with top-quality footage they can use to book future shows, all on top of a vacation. “If you leave with the best footage you’ve ever had, that can be incredibly valuable.”

Liam believes one of the biggest mistakes promoters make is failing to look professional. “A lot of people just throw an event on Eventbrite and hope people show up,” he said.

But audiences are already taking a risk by buying tickets to see a comedian they don’t know. “If your website looks bad or unprofessional, you’ve doubled the leap of faith the audience has to take.”

That’s why Iguana Comedy invested heavily in its website, connecting every comedian, venue, and show into one searchable system. “People can see the history, the performers, the events. Everything is linked together. It builds trust.”

Liam has proven web design chops. He built UpMic, a free web app that helps comics organize jokes, premises, and setlists in one place. He also runs Brandout, which provides websites and marketing for stand-up comedians.

With a permanent club opening soon and shows already running across multiple cities, Iguana Comedy is creating something that didn’t exist before: real comedy infrastructure in one of the fastest growing regions in Mexico. In a place with rampant tourism, it’s exciting to see a grassroots scene built by people who care about building something genuine in the Riviera Maya. 

New specials drop from David Cross (YouTube, April 7; Matt Grobar interviewed him ahead of the release), Sheng Wang’s Purple (Netflix, April 7), and Paul Elia (YouTube, April 8).

Comedian Steve Hofstetter is offering paid 5-minute opening spots to local comedians on his 2026 tour, including free high-quality videos of your set.

The Rule of Three Comedy Competition · April 25, 2026 · Windsor, Ontario. Comics compete in one night across three rounds: One-Liners (2 minutes, rapid fire), Off-the-Cuff Riffing (live topics revealed on stage), and Storytelling (4 minutes) — for a $500 cash prize. Deadline: April 8. Submit here.

Madison Comedy Week · August 2–8, 2026 · Madison, Wisconsin. Stand-up, improv, variety acts, and independently produced shows. Deadline: April 13. $15 performer submissions and free submissions for existing local shows. Submit here.

Hey there, I’ll be in Split, Croatia getting married this week. Yes, the city name isn’t ideal for marriage. But we’ve heard it’s nice. See you later in April! We’ll keep festival submissions updated on our site. Thanks for reading.

That’s The Jokebook — your Sunday comedy update. Have something to share? Message us at [email protected].