Hull Comedy Festival

The Hull Comedy Festival was established back in 2006, when a local businessman received funding from Hull Business Improvement District to develop a sustainable event that would benefit the evening economy in Hull City Centre.

hull Comedy Festival 2007

The festival in 2007 took place between 26th October to 9th November and featured over 70 performers at over 40 events.

Performers included Russell Howard, Stewart Lee, Justin Moorhouse and the Tenfoot City Comedian of the Year. Others included Lucy Porter, Trevor Lock, Frank Sidebottom, John Shuttleworth and Ivan Brackenbury.

The Hull Blokes, The Live Naked Idiots (including comedy magician Alan Hudson), Masked Dan, Andy Train and Scarlet Lights Theatre Company are amongst the local performers who also appeared.

Participating venues in 2007 included: Hull Truck Theatre, The Quality Royal Hotel, The Lamp, The New Clarence, Northern Academy of Performing Arts, Tiger's Lair, Pave, The Octagon, The Freedom Centre, Durty Nelly’s, The Dorchester Hotel, Punchbowl, The Piper, Cineworld and the University of Hull.

Street comedy performances were also scheduled to take place at Queen Victoria Square and St. Stephens in the City Centre.

Hull Comedy Festival 2008

The 2008 festival ran from Thursday 23rd October until Friday 7th November.

Paddy McGuinness, Frankie Boyle, Pete Firman, Russell Howard, Jason Manford, Keith Chegwin and Russell Kane performed at what was billed "the difficult second festival" and which took place in the Autumn.

Organisers claimed a 400% increase in sales made it the largest ticketed festival in the Hull and East Riding area.

Hull Comedy Festival 2008 was delivered in partnership by Hull City Centre BID, Eskimo Soup, Hull Colour Pages and St. Stephens with the support of over a dozen local companies and organisations.

Hull Comedy Festival 2009

The 2009 festival ran from Friday 23rd October until Saturday 7th November.

Amongst performers were celebrity impersonator and funnyman Alistair McGowan, and Shaun Williamson, who starred in a new version of TV sitcom Porridge at the theatre.

Other comedians include Al Murray's pub landlord, Charlie Chuck, Stewart Francis, and enthusiastic presenter Keith Chegwin who hosted the Charity Extravaganza at the Royal Hotel.

Established shows, such as Durty Nelly’s Comedy Buskers Ball, the Music & Comedy Exchange return, as does the Tenfoot City Comedian of the Year.

Hull Comedy Festival 2009 is organised by eskimosoup in partnership with Hull Business Improvement District, KCFM 99.8 and Hull Colour Pages.

The objectives of the festival were to attract visitors to Hull and establish a festival in the North of England.

For details of future events visit www.hullcomedyfestival.co.uk