Star line-up announced as comedy festival leaves lockdown
LIVE SHOWS RETURN AFTER THIS YEAR’S ONLINE EVENT
ORGANISERS have revealed the star line-up for the 2022 Leicester Comedy Festival.
The UK’s longest-running comedy festival will return to traditional live performances after it moved online in 2021 due to the pandemic.
It will feature more than 560 shows and more than 800 performances in 64 venues.
Leicestershire’s own Rachel Parris will be performing, along with Ria Lina, Richard Herring, Rosie Jones, Ross Noble, Seann Walsh, Simon
Brodkin, Stewart Lee, Suzi Ruffell, Tim Key and Tony Slattery.
Also taking part will be Angela Barnes, Ahir Shah, Catherine Bohart, Ed Gamble and Henning Wehn, as well as Katherine Ryan, Maisie Adam, Mark Watson, Nabil Abdulrashid, Nick Helm and Pam Ayres.
Founding director Geoff Rowe said: “Leicester Comedy Festival has developed a really strong reputation for being a supportive and friendly place for comedians to try out their material each February since 1994.
“Given what life has been like over the past 18 months or so, comedians really need to try out new stuff and get back on their feet.
“We’re thrilled our festivals engage with so many comedians, venues and promoters to entertain audiences from across the UK.”
Also returning for its fourth year is the UK Kids’ Comedy festival, which runs alongside Leicester Comedy Festival and is the only event of its kind in the UK.
It is promising a lively mix of comedy-based performances and activities suitable for the whole family.
There will be more than 45 shows and more than 75 performances in 25 venues across the city and county.
Both Leicester Comedy Festival and The UK Kids’ Comedy Festival are produced by Big Difference, a Leicester charity which aims to improve people’s lives through comedy and laughter, working yearvals round to deliver festivals, cultural events and projects with communities in Leicester and beyond.
Laura Arends, chief executive officer, Big Difference, said: “Every time you buy a ticket for a show, make a donation or engage with the festivals, you are supporting not only Leicester Comedy Festival and the UK Kids’ Comedy Festival, ensuring that these brilliant cultural events continue to thrive, but you are also supporting new and emerging comedians and the work with communities young and old that Big Difference delivers year- round”
The full programme of both festiwill be website, while ordered via: available on the brochures can be