The Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre is the place to find musical comedy shows and other live entertainment while eating dinner in Port Coquitlam.
It’s a fun and loud establishment with food, drinks, exceptional singers and politically-incorrect humour. We saw their Dam Naughty Nites show and had a great time!
THEATRE CLOSED
Unfortunately, the Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre closed down in February of 2023. After 21 years of operation, the place will be missed. Hopefully the dinner theatre opens at a new location in the future.
Port Coquitlam’s Giggle Dam Theatre
The Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre is a unique place as it’s a restaurant and bar combined with a live theatre at the same venue. On performance nights attendees enjoy a four-course meal while being treated to a live comedy show and musical performances.
The shows are usually irreverent, politically incorrect and full of sex-themed humour. There is no minimum age to attend a show, but the Giggle Dam advises that its performances “might not be suitable for children.” Expect to see both actors and wait staff in less-than-modest costumes!
The shows are very interactive, as the cast meets with everyone in the audience over the course of the night. Members of the audience are occasionally invited up on stage to take part in some sort of wacky scene. At other times, the host frequently references people in the audience based on what staff have learned in their conversations with guests.
Note: The Giggle Dam shows have a reputation for being very politically incorrect and having sexual innuendo and occasional strong language. The shows are very popular, but aren’t for everyone. You have been warned!
Location and Admission Prices
The Giggle Dam is located at 2616 Shaughnessy Street in the heart of downtown Port Coquitlam. It’s a 200-seat theatre. The venue doesn’t have daily operating hours, as it’s only open when there is a show taking place. In that sense it’s more of a theatre rather than a full-time restaurant or bar.
The price of admission varies depending on the show. Some shows are free (with the cost coming through the menu items) while others require a ticket at the door.
For tickets, to see what’s showing and for full details about the theatre see the Giggle Dam‘s official website.
Giggle Dam Show Schedule
Before the pandemic the Giggle Dam ran four shows per year, with each of them running for three months. Since early 2022, the schedule is a little more erratic.
In the first half of 2022 there were two different shows to enjoy. Details on both of them are below. Future shows will be different, but the price range should be comparable. For the most up-to-date schedule visit the Giggle Dam website.
Whose Dam Line is it Anyway?
This was a short-form improv show which means that the audience suggested different themes and a team of actors use the input to create a series of short scenes made up on the spot. It was a very fun and interactive form of comedy.
There was no admission cost to attend this show, although if you wanted reserved seating you could purchase it for $10. Otherwise, you could just walk up to the door the night of the show and head inside (assuming that there was still space available).
Dam Naughty Nites
This show was at 7:00 pm on Friday and Saturday nights from February until later in the spring in 2022. Dam Naughty Nights was a cabaret show featuring Broadway songs, short sketches and even a partial strip tease (but not where the dancer went down to nothing). It had a big cast with over 15 people performing. There was plenty of music, laughs and some more risqué elements.
Unlike the improv show mentioned above, Dam Naughty Nights required a ticket to attend. The admission was around $40, plus taxes and online fees. There was also a required dinner combo which cost about $30. The dinner included a snacky appetizer, soup, entrée and a dessert along with a soft drink plus tea or coffee. Alcoholic drinks cost extra.
How did the Giggle Dam describe Dam Naughty Nights on its website? It said it’s a cabaret show with “sex and skin, clowns and fishnets”. They also said that the show offered a night of “music, entertainment, sex and rock n’ roll” and that it was a “burlesque show you can take your wife to”!
For tickets and full details about the shows see the Giggle Dam‘s official website.
What to Expect
At the Giggle Dam you can expect great entertainment, generous food portions, wonderfully inappropriate humour, and scantily-clad waiters and waitresses who both serve your dinner and act on stage. The acting and singing is generally of a high calibre. We were impressed!
When we attended their show the place was packed and the audience was surprisingly diverse. There were young adults to grandmothers. Everyone seemed to have a great time.
Arriving at the Giggle Dam
When we went we had our vaccine passports checked in the line outside the theatre. We were also given a password. At the entrance door a person opened a tiny window and asked for the password before letting us in. We were then greeted by a man in fishnet stockings. From the start we knew this was no ordinary restaurant or theatre venue!
A waitress in a black corset and other sexy-looking clothing escorted us to our table which was set for ten people. Sharing our table on one side of us were two young ladies who were probably in their mid to late twenties. On the other side was a group of two older couples ranging in age from around 50 to 70-ish. It was a very diverse crowd!
The Giggle Dam is a dinner theatre venue. The main room is fairly dark and full of long tables with a small stage in the corner. Guests enjoy dinner long-table-style, meaning that you share your table with other attendees. Each table seats around ten or so people. The waiters, waitresses and other staff are all very friendly and ask where you’re from and if you’re celebrating any special occasions.
Dinner at the Giggle Dam
When we arrived at our table there was already a basket of nacho chips and a cheese dip in front of our place settings. A young waitress greeted us and took our drink orders. We ordered “Dam sized” cocktails which were huge and very tasty!
Dinner came with soup and a choice of entrées. One of us had fish with rice and vegetables and the other had stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes. Both dinners were delicious and the portions were generous. For dessert everyone got a piece of decadent chocolate cake. Soft drinks were free.
Entertainment at the Giggle Dam
The quality of the entertainment at the Giggle is high. When we went the host was hilarious and some of the female singers were especially talented!
The show we attended was called Dam Naughty Nites. Most of the staff were dressed in sexy lingerie, including some of the men. We are told that the staff dress code at other shows is different, but usually still fairly revealing.
Dam Naughty Nites featured a series of short performances that involved singing and dancing, plus a fair bit of skin. Most of the sketches were from famous Broadway shows. The singing was amazing!
The Giggle Dam promoted Dam Naughty Nites as a “burlesque show you can take your wife to,” and that’s exactly what it was. It was a bawdy show, but one that almost everyone could have fun at (except for children, people who are very politically correct or folks uncomfortable with the idea of being entertained by singers in sexy underwear).
The Giggle Dam Menu
The food menu at the Giggle Dam has around a dozen items, so while there are a few different options it’s not a huge menu. The main dishes include a decked-out burger, stuffed chicken breast, mushroom cannelloni and mahi-mahi (which is Hawaiian fish dish). The classic dessert is a piece of German chocolate cake served with whipped cream.
The drinks menu is more extensive as the Giggle Dam prides itself on its large open bar. In addition to beers on tap and wine, there are in-house cocktails and hot drinks like Irish coffees. For those who want non-alcoholic beverages there are herbal teas available as well as soft drinks.
VANCOUVER HORROR NIGHTS
Did you know that the Giggle Dam Theatre is the organization behind one of the Lower Mainland’s biggest and best Halloween attractions? It is!
Vancouver Horror Nights is an indoor Halloween attraction that features haunted mazes and actors in costume. Last year it took place inside the Giggle Dam Theatre itself. That was possible because the theatre wasn’t operating as a dinner theatre venue at the time because of COVID-19.
Vancouver Horror Nights was back in 2022 bigger and better than ever! It was at a new venue, however, because the Giggle Dam was offering its dinner and theatre shows once again that month. In 2022 the Halloween attraction happens at Coquitlam Centre in Coquitlam.
To learn more about Port Coquitlam’s awesome Halloween attraction, see our article about Vancouver Horror Nights.
Tips and Advice
Below are some suggestions and extra things that are good to know about the Giggle Dam Theatre.
TIP #1: The theatre is a great place to celebrate birthdays with friends. We were surprised by how many people in the audience were doing that when we were there for dinner.
TIP #2: Depending on who your mother-in-law is, she may or may not be the kind of person you’d invite to see the show with you. Some mothers-in-law will enjoy it while others might not approve.
TIP #3: Dinner theatre and Giggle Dam-style humour are best appreciated with alcoholic beverages. Be aware that although good value, Dam-sized cocktails contain three ounces of booze. Consequently, plan ahead and don’t drink and drive!
TIP #4: In addition to having dinner and enjoying a show at the Giggle Dam, people can also rent the venue. It’s a great place for receptions, staff parties and other private functions.
Other Information
For more information visit the Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre website.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- City of Port Coquitlam
- Best Places to Eat and Drink in Metro Vancouver
- Vancouver Shows and Entertainment
- Vancouver Improv Centre Shows
