The 10th Harrogate Comedy Festival

The 10th Harrogate Comedy Festival

3 - 20 October, Harrogate Theatre, Royal Hall

Dr Helen Scales

This year’s Harrogate Comedy Festival will take place 3-20 October with 22 events presenting more than 35 comedians over 18 days across Harrogate Theatre and the Royal Hall. The line-up includes big names in stand-up comedy as well as a comedy club for kids, live music, and more – and a number of shows are already selling out.

On the bill for 2018 is a strong line-up of female comedians, with headliner Sarah Millican (already sold out!) being joined by Flo and Joan, Lou Sanders, Harrogate’s own Maisie Adam, Sara Pascoe, Samantha Baines, Lucy Hopkins, and Juliette Burton.

Joining them on the line–up for this year will also be Ross Noble, Jimeoin, Nish Kumar, David O’Doherty, Jason Byrne, and Stewart Francis, plus a Hyena Lounge Comedy Kids Club and Closing Gala.

What’s more there’s musical silliness with Crooners, Richard Carpenter’s Close To You - an epic concert of catchy tunes and harrowing psychological trauma from the smiliest piano player in pop-rock history - and some of the old favourites in An Evening of Eric And Ern.

The Big Weekend - or the middle weekend of Harrogate Comedy Festival - is always a belter, and this year is no exception!

Over just two days Harrogate Theatre presents a range of comedy for all the

family with stand-up, musical comedy, a conversation panel plus live music in the bar, and the grand finale of the annual Comedian of the Year competition.

It’s the seventh Comedian of the Year competition, which is once again sponsored by Daleside Brewery. During two heats a host of tip top comics battle to impress the audience and judges enough to secure a place in the final on Sun 14 October, as well as a spot at the much coveted Hyena Lounge Comedy Club Closing Gala on Sat 20 October. The value of this competition is not to be underestimated, as you may have seen previous winner Mickey P. Kerr recently reach the Britain’s Got Talent final.

The Harrogate Comedy Festival is a real gem for the town and has a fantastic reputation for quality - even earning Harrogate the title ‘comedy capital of the north’ along the way. This year we hope to build on that and the festival programmers are proud of not only the big names but also another diverse comedy offer of ‘not just stand-up’.

Just under 10,000 people attended last year’s festival, reaching 83% of capacity across the festival, and the hope is for even more in 2018.

See www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk/harrogatecomedy-festival