Edinburgh goes all out for comedy this festival season

Details have been announced of the inaugural Edinburgh Comedy Festival, a ‘festival-within-a-festival’ that will provide a home for the best in comedy - by the Fringe institutions, Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly. Featuring 253 shows across 55 different stages over 27 days (30th July – 25th August), the first year’s programme brings together some of the world’s biggest acts alongside some of the most promising emerging and unknown talent from across the spectrum of sketch, improvisation, poetry, musical and comic theatre.

Fringe favourites Paul Merton, Ed Byrne, Bill Bailey, Jason Byrne and Jim Jeffries are joined by legends such as Barry Cryer and Clive James. Meanwhile, the promising line-up of new talent includes Sarah Millican, Tom Allen, Matt Green, Sammy J, Dan Nightingale and Tom Wrigglesworth.

With over 875,000 visitors expected in the first year – an audience five times the size of Glastonbury - Edinburgh Comedy Festival’s central aim is to bring more people to the festival city than ever before and raise funds for both artists & venues. With future plans that include open invitations for more venues and producers to join; the targeting of a larger national & international audience; and greater financial support for the comedians, the intention is to grow this figure to a million in three years.

For booking and more information, visit Edfringe.com.