Name: Elephant Riot
Start: 2026-04-26T15:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-04-26T16:00:00+02:00
Location: Ångkraftsvägen 14 72131 Västerås, Sweden

The True Story Of Sweden's First Elephant
as
Misremembered, Mistold & Misrepresented
by
Ben Kersley
Humorist, Anecdotalist & Accidental Menagerist
In 1804, the first ever elephant set foot in Sweden as part of Jean-Baptiste Gautier’s travelling menagerie. After two years as Stockholm’s hottest ticket, they made a classic showbiz mistake, and headed out on tour. Bad food, uncomfortable hotel nights and one star reviews were soon topped by a two day RIOT in the small Swedish market town of Skänninge.
Almost exactly, but not quite, two hundred and seven years later, Ben Kersley brings ELEPHANT RIOT to the Västerås Comedy Festival! Comedian, storyteller, Englishman, elephantophile and idiot, Ben gives you heavyweight light entertainment as he explores the parallel showbiz lives of Scandinavia’s first elephant and his own trail of Nordic laughter, destruction and animal husbandry.
Expect Meerkats, Angry Swedish Mobs, Taxidermy, British Warships, and a heart-warming, coming-of-age tale of life in a menagerie.
No animals will be hurt too badly during the performance.
Ben Kersley is a comedian who has performed all over Sweden as well as Denmark, Finland, Estonia, the UK and New York. He wrote the sitcom Pitcher På Paus (SVT) and produced and directed the award winning stand up comedy road movie Big In Sweden (TV4), both with Al Pitcher. Ben wrote and performed a solo show Gangster Comedian (STOFF, Lund Comedy Festival) and has written a screenplay, Northern Delightz, with writer Paddy Kelly. In 2021, Ben was awarded Lars Winnerbäcks Nyponpriset.
Find out more about Ben on his website www.safetylast.se
Practical information
Show starts: 15:00
Length: Approx 60 minutes
Age limit: 18 yo (13 yo with parents/guardians)
Free seating
Tickets are non-refundable.
This show is a part of the Västerås Comedy Festival. Browse to www.vasterascomedyfestival.se to discover the full programme.