FARSHORE FUNNY FEST to Bring Comedy to WayWord Festival at Storyhouse

Storyhouse will present Farshore Funny Fest, which will take place at the Chester cultural centre on Tuesday, 27 October as part of this year's WayWord Festival for kids. The ultimate day out for children aged six and over promises hilarious headliners, laugh-out-loud workshops and mountains of merriment and mirth-making.

Pick either a morning or afternoon slot, and then in addition to the main event in the Storyhouse theatre, ticketholders can also choose one of three exclusive extra FREE treats – the silly science show How to Save Your Granny from a Runaway Train, The Big Beano Draw-along with Nigel Parkinson or join Farhana Islam for the hilarious interactive The Misadventures of Mina Mahmood. Spaces are limited so register early.

Mike Stirling and Craig Graham are the brains behind Beano books and the undisputed Directors of Mischief and Mayhem.

This year they are celebrating 75 years of Dennis, revealing their top-secret insider tips for creating Beano's hilarious stories and helping Chester children co-create “the funniest Dennis the Menace comic strip of all time”.

Liverpool-based Beano cartoonist Nigel Parkinson will reveal the drawing tricks behind some of the world's best-loved comic characters, showing children how to bring Beano characters to life before helping them create their own comic strips.

His event also ties into Dennis the Menace: Mischief at the Museum, the new amazing adventure book written by Mike Stirling and Craig Graham, which he illustrated.

Farhana Islam is the author behind the brilliantly funny The Misadventures of Mina Mahmood series, following Mina and her best friends Reema and Mobeen through the chaos of school life. At Funny Fest she will be bringing Mina's world to life in an interactive session combining games, storytelling and creativity.

Along with the unmissable fun in the main theatre and the three fantastic free add-on events, there will also be complementary activities throughout the Storyhouse building during the day, including face painting, scavenger hunts and book signings. And every child will receive a free Beano comic.

Funny Fest is organised by Farshore books in association with Beano.

WayWord runs from Thursday, 22 October to Sunday, 1 November 2026, promising a packed programme of creative delights, rollercoaster reads and terrific tales.