Jubil, the comedy festival planned by Gad Elmaleh in Nice in October, will not take place

"For reasons beyond its control, the Jubil festival, scheduled to take place from October 6 to 9 in Nice, has been canceled. Spectators are invited to request a refund at the point of sale where their tickets were purchased." A simple sentence and a red "cancelled" banner appearing on the Palais Nikaïa website confirm: Jubil will not take place.

The comedy festival, led by Gad Elmaleh, its artistic director, and Grégoire Furrer, the creator of Montreux Comedy in Switzerland, supported by the City of Nice, was nevertheless well underway.

Announced last year by Gad Elmaleh , Jubil was to be four gala evenings, including one with English-speaking stand-uppers, a presence in the city via meetings and events in other Nice venues such as Stockfish or the Franciscans hall of the National Theatre of Nice (TNN), and a television broadcast.

"We are in talks with several channels," Gad Elmaleh told us last June. The festival, added Grégoire Furrer, was to be "focused on the Mediterranean, drawing on the region's youth, established names and new talent."

Because Jubil also had to give pride of place to local artists through actors established in the area, such as the Bobar team, the comedy club in Vieux-Nice, or Directo Prod, a comedian scout notably through its Les Pages du rire festival and its springboard. The TNN was also scouting talent for Jubil through its Wednesday stand-up classes.

Launch canceled in early April

Guest at the Nice Carnival on February 23, Gad Elmaleh took the opportunity to remind the public of the arrival of his festival. On April 3, a meeting between the public and the two maestros of the event was planned at the Fnac in Nice, followed by a launch party in a Nice hotel, which ultimately did not take place. At Nice-Matin , we were waiting for a date for an interview with the comedian and his teammate to discuss the festival's program.

"There were some big announcements, but unfortunately, little follow-up. We don't have any further information on the reasons for the cancellation," regrets a former potential partner.

When contacted, Grégoire Furrer kindly replied that our questions would be answered by Gad Elmaleh. We have not yet received any response from the artist.