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Poor old comedy. It’s had a shit year with all its venues closed down, plus there’s been a load of stuff that you’re probably not allowed to joke about yet. But time heals all wounds, so just give it a few years.
It’s good news then, that – like buses – two actual IRL comedy festivals have just turned up. First of all is Alexandra Palace’s Hullabaloo (now there’s a reassuringly old-school name for a hopefully chucklesome comedy festival). Hullabaloo features a lot of people you know off the telly – Ed Byrne, Nina Conti, Ed Gamble, Russell Howard, Milton Jones, Nish Kumar, Henning Wehn and more. It’s all outside and happening over the late May Bank Holiday weekend (May 28-31). It’s a super-pro bill, and don’t forget that Ally Pally also boasts one of the capital’s biggest beer terraces.
The other one is at the venerable 100 Club. The slightly less inventively named 100 Club Comedy Festival features more people you know off the telly: ‘Taskmaster’ faves Phil Wang and Iain Sterling, plus Ed Gamble, Flo and Joan, and Ahir Shah. It’s running May 31-June 5, with tickets priced at £17.50 per person per night (or, if you’ve got no other plans, you go to all six nights for £90pp, a saving of 15 whole pounds).
So, good news. Or a massive feat of endurance to sit through hours and hours of material about how shit people’s faces look like on Zoom.
Hullabaloo, Alexandra Palace, May 28-31. 100 Club Comedy Festival, 100 Club, May 31-Jun 5.
Not comedy-related, but still good: sandwich don Max Halley on how to have a not-shit picnic.
Other brilliant beer gardens in London.