No laughing matter

A downtown Winnipeg comedy club, Yuk Yuk’s, closed after being one of the company’s worst performing locations across Canada.

“We’ve opened many clubs,” said Mark Breslin, Yuk Yuk’s founder. “They’re like oil wells — some of them gush, some of them trickle and some of them are just dry.

“You never absolutely know which is going to be which.”

The franchise counts at least 10 locations nationally.

In 2022, the Fort Garry Hotel announced it’d open a Yuk Yuk’s in a room that’s previously housed nightclubs.

Comedy acts have since frequented the stage Friday and Saturday nights.

But the Winnipeg shows quietly stopped this year. The last events posted online were in May.

Franchisee Ida Albo, who owns the Fort Garry Hotel, said she chose not to renew a lease with Yuk Yuk’s in March. The initial lease was three years.

“We had a better use for the space,” Albo said, adding the comedy set-up “went well.”

The Fort Garry Hotel is pivoting to something new; Albo declined to provide details.

She called the relationship with Yuk Yuk’s “great.”

Breslin underscored he didn’t know the official reason for the Winnipeg closure, but it was among the locations with the lowest attendance rates.

“There’s a certain point when it’s just not worth doing anymore,” he said. “Maybe downtown Winnipeg hasn’t bounced back quite enough for people to feel comfortable going out there, and they want to go to the suburbs… I’m not sure.

“We certainly brought in the best Canadian talent imaginable.”

Downtown foot traffic was relatively stable in the first months of 2026, though overall visits dropped six per cent year-over-year, a recent Downtown Winnipeg BIZ report states.

Visitation in 2025 was roughly 10 per cent lower than the year prior.

The Fort Garry Hotel room is “gorgeous” and its ownership likable, Breslin said. He’s looking for a new Winnipeg franchisee to launch Yuk Yuk’s in the city.

The company had an Osborne Village franchise in the 1980s and ’90s.

Comedy venues such as Rumor’s and The Basement continue to operate in Winnipeg.

Rumor’s will apply unused Yuk Yuk’s gift cards to its regular price show tickets, said club partner Drew Mindell. He encouraged gift card holders to contact Rumor’s.

“I always want to see businesses thriving, no matter what industry,” Mindell said. “I’m sorry to hear that (Yuk Yuk’s has) decided to shut down.”

Despite the closure, Mindell considers Winnipeg’s comedy scene a “hot one.” Rumor’s is finishing its best July in its four-decade history, Mindell said.

“Especially in the age of AI, where people see videos online and they’re not sure if what they’re seeing is real — they know, they come to a comedy club, what they are seeing is absolutely 100 per cent authentic,” he said.

Customers seem to crave authenticity, he added.

The Fort Garry Hotel, meantime, is in transition. Ownership is looking to sell; the Manitoba Métis Federation has expressed interest.

MMF President David Chartrand said earlier this month the federation would acquire the historic hotel “if the price is right and the partnership is positive.” The 113-year-old hotel was listed without a price.

It underwent a major renovation to its restaurant and bar in 2021.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com