Three years late, eventually this weekend the Leith Comedy Festival will take place all around Leith in several different venues.
There will be walking tours, an Opening Night Gala at Leith Arches, an introduction to Laughter Yoga and after many other events a Closing Night Gala at the Biscuit Factory.
At the opening evening gala Billy Kirkwood will be the host of a show featuring among others, Joe McTernan and Marjolein Robertson.
Rosalind Romer, Director of Leith Comedy Festival said: “I’m so excited the first weekend Leith Comedy Festival is finally happening. I have been planning it for so long, and all the events I put on during the pandemic have been leading up to this. The Leith community has been so supportive, and I believe the programme reflects the creativity and humour of Leith. They’ll be the first to tell me if it doesn’t.”
Life is expensive at the moment so it’s important that there are pay-what-you-can tickets for every show. Organisers are encouraging those who can afford it to use the pay-it-forward option when buying tickets. This creates more pay-what-you-can tickets across the whole festival.
This festival has been built from the ground up from within the community, rather than picking a place and bringing in some comedy. This festival only works in Leith. The suppliers are here. The profits stay here, in Leith itself where possible.
Leith Comedy Festival has been made possible by the support of The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and Firstport.
Head of Theatre at Creative Scotland, Laura Mackenzie-Stuart, said: “Events such as Leith Comedy Festival which are firmly rooted in their local community are the bedrock of cultural celebration. More than ever, we are drawn to live performance in the company of others, energised by the collective experience.
“Thanks to support from The National Lottery players, Leith Comedy Festival’s programme has something for all ages, whether that’s discovering the latest comedy talent, diving into a session of laughter yoga or teaming up for a themed quiz night. This showcases the variety of activity and local-level investment that the Creative Scotland Open Fund supports throughout the year.”
On Saturday there is a family event for everyone to enjoy a good laugh. Soup Group begins at 3.30pm at Leith Depot. Tickets here.
While some one-off events have taken place this is the first proper weekend festival.
Comedy for good. Laughter for all.
https://www.leithcomedyfest.com
Leith Comedy Festival Programme
| Date | Time | End | Title | Venue | Age | Price |
| Fri 6thOct | 8pm | 9.45pm | Opening Night Gala and Aftershow Party | Leith Arches | 16+ | £ 16.50* |
| Sat 7thOct | 2pm | 4pm | Introduction to Improvisation | Duncan Place | 16+ | £ 15.00 |
| 3.30pm | 4.30pm | Soup Group! | Leith Depot | 5+ | £ 7.00 | |
| 5pm | 6.30pm | Comedy Walking Tour (Live) | Scottish Merchant Navy Memorial next to Malmaison | all | £ 15.00 | |
| 8pm | 10pm | Leith Laughs: An Evening of Funny Stories | Leith Dockers Club | 16+ | £ 10.00 | |
| Sun 8thOct | 2.30pm | 3.30pm | Introduction to Laughter Yoga | Leith Community Centre | 18+ | £ 12.00 |
| 3pm | 5pm | Leith Comedy Festival Quiz | Smoke & Mirrors | all | £ 2.00 | |
| 5pm | 6.30pm | Comedy Walking Tour (Live) | Scottish Merchant Navy Memorial next to Malmaison Hotel | all | £ 15.00 | |
| 8pm | 9.45pm | Closing Night Gala | The Biscuit Factory | 16+ | £ 16.50 | |
| all weekend | Lassies of Leith Tour (Online) | YouTube | 18+ | free |
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