Live, Laugh, Live Podcasts.
Welcome to Cheerful Earful, a global festival of funny podcasts.
Cheerful Earful began life in 2022 as a tiny, joyful four-day podcast festival tucked inside a handful of London pubs.
Since then, it’s grown into month long celebration spanning three continents and showcasing everything from cult favourites and breakout indie shows to internationally recognised names, all within the same joyful, welcoming programme.
It's in the name really - we bring the world's funniest podcasts off the feed and put them on stage - giving you an Earful of your favourite funny shows.
Global but grassroots
Every October, we takeover (in a nice way) stages in London, Melbourne and NYC, giving audiences the chance to see their favourite funny podcasts live and discover new gems.
We carefully curate a programme of internationally beloved podcasters, indie juggernauts and cult favourites that together form the beautiful melting pot that makes up Cheerful.
We take great pride in championing smaller and indie podcasts. First-time performers are given the same opportunities, care, and moolar as more established names. For some, Cheerful Earful is their first ever live show... just don't forget us when you're famous.
Anyone can apply to perform, and it doesn’t cost a dime, a pound, or an Australian dollar — depending on where you're based.
Year Round Community
In 2025, Cheerful Earful gave birth to its own awards ceremony - The Golden Lobes. If the festival is the stage, the Golden Lobes are the spotlight, celebrating the funniest podcasts and people in the audio industry.
The inaugural ceremony saw Harry Hill, Frank Skinner and Joe Marler win big alongside indie darlings CheapShow, This Paranormal Life and Harford: An Oral History.
The Golden Lobes
"And the award goes to...
In a slightly mad 3am brainwave, we created The Golden Lobes -podcast awards recognising the funniest people, podcasts, and moments in audio.
If the festival is the stage, the Golden Lobes are the spotlight. Born out of a collective frustration with stale, expensive, and joyless awards, the Lobes were designed to be affordable (£25 all-in, not per category), accessible (five minutes of audio max), and fun, not faff.
From indie darlings to mainstream mainstays and first-time podcasters, the Golden Lobes give shows of all shapes and sizes the same spotlight. In 2025, global platforms, national broadcasters, and solo creators rubbed shoulders, proving it’s a truly level playing field.
The Golden Lobes share the same ethos as Cheerful Earful itself: celebrating creativity, championing emerging voices, and shining a light on the podcasts that keep us laughing week after week. Together, the festival and the awards form a fab, funny, year-round ecosystem for podcasters, fans, and industry figures.
"The Golden Lobes was a fun night out: none of the cheesy nonsense of more established Awards Ceremonies nor nowhere near as long".