New comedy festival launches in Bath this April

This spring Bath will welcome a new festival to its busy and diverse year-round programme of events. The Bath Comedy Festival will start, appropriately, on April Fools’ Day and finish on the 12th April.

There will be a line up of performances and entertainment with street theatre, stand-up comedy from well-known names such as Paul Merton, film, plays, competitions and caricature spilling out onto Bath's historic streets and taking place across a selection of venues - all celebrating the art of making people laugh.

Bath was chosen as an ideal location for the Comedy Festival as it is home to leading talent such as Bill Bailey, Bizarre Bath (popular and entertaining comedy walking tours of the city) and the Natural Theatre Company (street theatre group who travel the globe to perform), as well as having some excellent historic venues and beautiful Georgian architecture which makes an ideal backdrop for street theatre.

The line-up of events is an eclectic mix of comedy to suit all tastes. Some of the highlights include; a Fawlty Towers Evening at the Hilton Hotel where you can experience an entertaining dinner with Basil, Sybil and Manuel; an alternative version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew at the University Theatre; street theatre with the Festival Jester, Plug, and the Natural Theatre Company; and an array of stand-up comedians including Paul Merton, Robin Ince, Jenny Eclair and Count Arthur Strong.

A full line-up of events can be found at bathcomedyfestival.co.uk with details of prices and how to book tickets (some events are even free).

Equally as enjoyable for children, and with the majority of the festival taking place during the Easter holidays, it’s a great time to take a family break in the beautiful city of Bath. In between stand-up comedy and street theatre, there are plenty of other things to do. Visit the Roman Baths and see some of the most extensive Roman remains in the country or take a City Tour and view the iconic sights of Bath from an open-top bus. Restaurants and cafes line the streets of Bath so there’s a huge choice of places to eat out and if looking for some retail therapy, shopaholics are well catered for, with independent and boutique stores as well as all the usual high street names.

Stay in Bath while the festival is taking place and enjoy choosing from a range of accommodation from credit-crunch options such as camping and hostels to luxurious options with a number of 5 star spa hotels and boutique B&Bs.

The festival joins a long list of events that Bath hosts including the Bath Literature Festival (28th February - 8th March), Fringe Festival (22nd May - 7th June), International Music Festival (22nd May - 6th June) and the Jane Austen Festival (18th - 27th September).

More details on all of the above as well as everything needed in order to plan a break in Bath can be found on the official tourism website: Visitbath.co.uk.