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Shenzhen / Interests / Stand-up comedy

脱口秀 · English stand-up & open mics

Stand-up comedy in Shenzhen

Free English open mics on Sundays at The Flames in Shekou, touring English specials when they come through, and how to get your first five minutes on stage.

  • 9 open mics
  • in the next three weeks

Tomorrow

TakeOut Comedy Open Mic (Sundays)

The Flames · 9pm · Free entry (one-drink minimum) · EN

How the night runs

  1. 8:30DoorsBuy a drink at the bar — that's your ticket
  2. ·Want a spot?Tell the host when you arrive
  3. 9:00Show startsOpen mic: anyone can take the mic
  4. ·After your setPerformers get a free drink

Who's on? Line-ups aren't posted anywhere yet. Host? Post it here →

Details & directions →

The next three weeks of comedy

Every night listed here is in English. Sit back and watch, or put your name down and get up.

Shows Sit back. You're the audience.

No ticketed English shows confirmed in the next three weeks. Touring English specials (often promoted by Bravo Comedy!) come through every month or two; we list them once the date and tickets are confirmed. Know about one? Tell us.

Touring specials sell out on WeChat first. Follow the promoter and the next English date lands in your weekly email.

Open mics Free, rawer — and you can get up.

For would-be comedians

Get stage time

One free English open mic a week, run by TakeOut Comedy. No booking: you sign up with the host on the night.

EN

TakeOut Comedy Open Mic

Every Sun · The Flames

Doors
8:30pm
Starts
9pm
Cost
Free, one-drink minimum

Next: Tomorrow, 9pm

  1. your name here?
  2. Sign up with the host

The list is written on the night. Host? Post the running order →

💡 Performers get a free drink after their set (Asahi, a mixed drink or a soft drink).

Your first open mic, in five steps

  1. Write five minutes, bring fourEveryone runs long the first time. A tight four minutes beats a rushed six.
  2. Record your set on your phoneYou'll hear which lines got laughs and which got silence.
  3. Open with your strongest bitThe first 30 seconds decide whether the room trusts you.
  4. Respect the lightWhen the host signals time, finish your joke and say goodnight. Running over is the one unforgivable sin.
  5. Stay for the whole showWatching the other comics is how you get better — and how you make friends in the scene.

Improv

Improv in Shenzhen

Stand-up is one person and a mic; improv is a team making scenes up from audience suggestions. Nobody writes anything down, so nothing is ever the same twice.

  • Improv group

    Over 大 Counter Improv

    Nothing on their calendar right now.

    They've run English improv nights and auditions in Shenzhen before. Follow them and the next date goes straight into your weekly email.

Run an improv jam or class?Send us the details (a WeChat post or poster is fine) and it goes on this page.

Where the comedy happens

The rooms on the calendar right now. Shows start late, so check the last metro home before you settle in.

  • The Flames 炙焰西餐厅Shekou · L2 Sea World · Exit AOpen 10:30–01:00Western restaurant and bar upstairs on Taizi Road in Sea World: steaks, burgers and ribs, a resident band, big-screen sport, and some of Shekou's busiest English nights: TakeOut Comedy's free open mics (Wednesdays and Sundays) and KICK IT's Friday language exchange upstairs.Sun · Wed
  • Youmo Youtiao Comedy (Shenzhen Book City Central) 幽默油条喜剧（深圳书城中心城店）FutianSmall stand-up room on the second floor of Shenzhen Book City's central branch, run by the Youmo Youtiao comedy chain; mostly Chinese shows, plus an English-only open mic.Thu

Funny in two languages

Comedy words you'll hear from Chinese friends, and what tends to work in a room where half the crowd is on their second language.

脱口秀tuōkǒuxiù
Stand-up comedy — literally a “talk show”
开放麦kāifàng mài
Open mic
梗gěng
A bit, a running joke, a meme
抖包袱dǒu bāofu
Land the punchline — “shake open the bundle”, from crosstalk
冷笑话lěng xiàohua
A groaner — a “cold joke”
谐音梗xiéyīn gěng
A pun that works on sound (the Chinese love these)
炸场zhà chǎng
To kill — “blow up the room”
冷场lěng chǎng
To bomb — the room goes cold
相声xiàngsheng
Crosstalk, the traditional two-person comedy
笑死我了xiào sǐ wǒ le
“I'm dying” — what you want to hear after
  1. Act-outs travel, wordplay doesn'tHalf the room is on their second language. Physical bits and characters land with everyone; puns rarely do.
  2. Slow down 10%, not 50%Clear diction beats simplified jokes. Nobody wants to be talked down to.
  3. Shared-city material winsDidi drivers, delivery riders, Huaqiangbei, Line 11 at rush hour: everyone in the room has lived it.
  4. Punch at yourself, not the localsThe foreigner-confused-by-China bit works when you're the joke. It dies when the room is.
  5. Callbacks are universalBring a line back at the end of your set. The second laugh is always bigger.
  6. Audience? Laugh at what you getIf the room laughs and you didn't catch it, laugh anyway — you'll catch the next one.

Comedy in Shenzhen: questions

Is there English stand-up comedy in Shenzhen?

Yes. TakeOut Comedy runs free English open mics twice a week at The Flames in Sea World, Shekou: Sundays (doors 8:30pm, show 9pm) and Thursdays (8:30pm). Touring English comedy specials, often promoted by Bravo Comedy!, come through every month or two; we list them as soon as the date and tickets are confirmed.

Where can I do an open mic in Shenzhen?

At TakeOut Comedy's open mics at The Flames (Sea World, Line 2, exit A), on Sundays and Thursdays. Tell the host you want a spot when you arrive. Performers get a free drink after their set.

How much does a comedy show cost in Shenzhen?

The TakeOut open mics are free with a one-drink minimum: buy something at the bar and that's your ticket. Touring English specials are ticketed; the Bravo Comedy tour's Guangzhou show in October 2026 was ¥148.

Do I need to speak Chinese to enjoy comedy in Shenzhen?

No. Everything on this page is in English. Mandarin 脱口秀 is big in China too, but we only list English and bilingual nights.

Is there improv comedy in Shenzhen?

Over 大 Counter Improv has posted improv nights on Now Shenzhen, but there's nothing on their calendar right now. If you know of an improv jam or show, tell us.

What time do comedy nights finish?

The open mics start at 8:30–9pm and run as long as there are comics. If you're heading home by metro, check the last train from Sea World (Line 2) before you settle in.