Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival (formerly known as The Leicester Comedy Festival’) is back for 2016 and is set to showcase over 780 events in more than 60 venues across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The Festival kicks off on Wednesday 3rd February and runs until Sunday 21st February.
There are some exclusive events set for this year which include The UK Pun Championships, Odd Couples, The Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year and aslo Q&A’s with Johnny Vegas and Nicholas Parsons.
Tickets are now on sale for all events throughout the festival.
History of Leicester Comedy Festival
The Leicester Comedy Festival started back in 1994 where there was 40 events shown at 23 venues around Leicestershire over 7 days. The first festival attracted an audience of 5,000 and received a modest amount of media attention.
Since the first show, the festival has got bigger and better each year, and has regularly featured some of Britain’s biggest names in stand-up comedy such as Jack Dee, Johnny Vegas, Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle and Russell Brand.
The second Comedy Festival held the first ‘Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year’ award, which continues to take place each year. The first award in 1995 was won by Stevie Knuckles but other winners have included Johnny Vegas (1997) and Josh Widdicombe (2010).
By 2007, the festival had grown so big that the ‘Best of Leicester Comedy Festival’ went on tour around Derby, Nottingham and Leicestershire, which saw its audience and media attention grow hugely.
A big highlight in the history of the festival was back in 2001 when a letter was received from The Queen wishing everyone involved good luck.
In 2012, the festival partnered with the TV channel Dave, which resulted in a slight change in the name. It is now known as ‘Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival.
Last year’s festival (2015) saw a whopping 630 events shown in 47 venues. The festival was even extended by two days for the first time ever and ran for 19 days. A highlight of the festival was a tribute to the late Sire Norman Wisdom OBE, who was a festival patron.
The Leicester Comedy Festival boast great line-ups of comedians throughout the last 20 years. Here is a selection of those who have featured at the festival:
Jo Brand
Andy Parsons
Michael McIntyre
Jack Dee
Sarah Millican
Micky Flanagan
Rory Bremner
Russell Brand
The Mighty Boosh
Alan Davies
Dara O’Brain
Simon Pegg
Jeremy Hardy
Lee Mack
Harry Hill
Johnny Vegas
Julian Clary
Graham Norton
Jimmy Carr
Frankie Boyle
Stephen K Amos
Jason Manford
Jon Richardson
Andi Osho
Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year
This year’s Comedian of the Year takes place on Saturday 20th February at 7:30pm at The Y. Tickets are £16.
Over the years, over 170 comedians have entered the competition. Previous winners include Steve Knuckles (first winner in 1995), Johnny Vegas (1997 winner), Jason Manford (2000 winner), Rhod Gilbert (2003 winner), Sean Walsh (2009 winner) and Romesh Ranganathan (2013 winner).
Some highlights of the competition include Jimmy Carr performing a rap when he entered in 2001. The Leicester Mercury reporting “we think we’ll be hearing more from him in the future” after John Bishop entered in 2001. And Leicester based comedian Matt Hollins beating Russell Kane in 2003.
Leicester Comedy Festival Tickets
Tickets are now available for the Comedy Festival and you can buy them through the official ticketing partner Curve Tickets here.
If you have any problems booking tickets online, or if you have any questions regarding tickets, please email tickets@curvetheatre.co.uk.
You can also purchase tickets at The Curve box office which is open Monday – Saturday from 10:00am until 8:00pm. In addition, tickets can be purchased from The Highcross between the hours of 9:30am and 7:00pm (11:00am – 5:00pm on Sunday).
The prices for tickets vary for each event and some events are free.
On each day of the festival, there are a limited number of 2-4-1 tickets available from midday. These are available to buy at The Highcross.
Leicester Comedy Festival venues
Below is a list of all the venues where the Festival’s events will be held:
Leicester City Centre
- Attenborough Arts Centre
Address: Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 7HA
Tel: 0116 2522455
Website: www.attenborougharts.com
View on map here.
- Barley Mow
Address: 149 Granby Street, Leicester, LE1 6FE
Tel: 0116 2557722
View on map here.
- BBC Radio Leicester
Address: 9 St. Nicholas Place, Leicester, LE1 5LB
Tel: 0116 2516688
View on map here.
- Bob’s Blundabus
Address: Parked outside ‘The Criterion’ – 44 Millstone Lane, Leicester
Website: www.blundabus.com
View on map here.
- Central Baptist Church
Address: Charles Street, Leicester, LE1 1LA
Tel: 0116 2552520
Website: www.central-baptist.org.uk
View on map here.
- Chutney Ivy
Address: 41 Halford Street, Leicester, LE1 1TR
Tel: 0116 2511889
Website: www.chutneyivy.com
View on map here.
- The Curve
Address: 60 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1SB
Tel: 0116 2423560
Website: www.curveonline.co.uk
View on map here.
- De Montfort Hall
Address: Granville Road, Leicester, LE1 7RU
Tel: 0116 2333111
Website: www.demontforthall.co.uk
View on map here.
- Duffy’s Bar
Address: 18 Pocklingtons Walk, Leicester, LE1 6BU
Tel: 0116 2553316
View on map here.
- Firebug
Address: 1 Millstone Lane, Leicester, LE1 5JN
Tel: 0116 2551228
Website: www.firebugbar.co.uk
View on map here.
- Grays @ LCB Depot
Address: 31 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1RE
Tel: 0116 2616800
View on map here.
- Heroes @ The Criterion
Address: 44 Millstone Lane, Leicester, LE1 5JN
Tel: 0116 2625418
Website: www.criterionvenue.co.uk
View on map here.
- Hugh Aston Building
Address: De Montfort University, The Newark, Leicester, LE2 7BY
Tel: 0116 2506077
View on map here.
- Juke Box
Address: 35 St Nicholas Place, Leicester, LE1 4LD
View on map here.
- Just the Tonic at Hansom Hall
Address: Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6HL
Tel: 0115 9100009
View on map here.
- King Richard III Visitor Centre
Address: 4a St Martins, Leicester, LE1 5DB
Tel: 0300 300 0900
Website: www.kriii.com
View on map here.
- Maiyango
Address: 13-21 St Nicholas Place, Leicester, LE1 4LD
Tel: 0116 2518898
Website: www.maiyango.com
View on map here.
- Manhattan 34
Address: 34 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1RD
Tel: 0116 2628855
Website: www.manhattan34.com
View on map here.
- Peter Pizzeria
Address: 9 Welford Road, Leicester, Le1 6ZH
Tel: 0116 2545333
Website: www.peterpizzeria.co.uk
View on map here.
- Phoenix
Address: 4 Midland Street, Leicester, LE1 1TG
Tel: 0116 2422800
Website: www.phoenix.org.uk
View on map here.
- Ramada Encore
Address: 84-90 Charles Street, Leicester, LE1 1GE
Tel: 0116 3660150
View on map here.
- Regent College Studio
Address: Regent College, Regent Road, Leicester, LE1 7LW
Tel: 0116 2554629
View on map here.
- Soft Touch Arts
Address: 50 New Walk, Leicester, LE1 6TF
Tel: 0116 2552592
Website: www.soft-touch.org.uk
View on map here.
- St Martins Coffee Shop
Address: 2-6 St Martins Walk, Leicester, LE1 5DG
Tel: 0116 2512879
View on map here.
- The Belmont Hotel
Address: 20 De Montfort Square, Leicester
Tel: 0116 2544773
Website: www.belmonthotel.co.uk
View on map here.
- The Cookie
Address: 68 High Street, Leicester, LE1 5YP
Tel: 0116 2531212
Website: www.thecookieleicester.co.uk
View on map here.
- The Cookie Comedy Club @ Globe
Address: 43 Silver Street, Leicester, LE1 5EU
Tel: 0116 2539492
View on map here.
- The Exchange Bar
Address: 50 Cultural Quarter, Leicester, LE1 1RD
Tel: 0116 2513434
Website: www.exchangeleicester.com
View on map here.
- The Guildhall
Address: Guildhall Lane, Leicester, LE1 5FQ
Tel: 0116 2532569
View on map here.
- The Little Theatre
Address: Dover Street, Leicester, Le1 6PW
Tel: 0116 2542266
Website: www.thelittletheatre.net
View on map here.
- The Musician
Address: 42 Crafton Street, Leicester, LE1 2DE
Tel: 0116 2510080
Website: www.themusicianpub.co.uk
View on map here.
- The Regent Sports and Social Club
Address: 102 Regent Road, Leicester, LE1 7DA
Tel: 0116 2238006
Website: www.regentleicester.co.uk
View on map here.
- The Soundhouse
Address: 28 Southampton Street, Leicester, LE1 1SJ
Website: www.soundhouseleicester.co.uk
View on map here.
- The Y
Address: 7 East Street, Leicester, LE1 6EY
Tel: 0116 2556507
Website: www.leicesterymca.co.uk
View on map here.
- Trinity Chapel
Address: The Gateway, Leicester, LE2 7DR
Tel: 0116 2506090
View on map here.
Leicestershire
- The Black Dog
Address: 23 London Road, Oadby, LE2 5DL
Tel: 0116 2102479
View on map here.
- The Black Horse
Address: 65 Narrow Lane, Leicester, LE2 8NA
Tel: 0116 2837225
View on map here.
- Church of the Martyrs
Address: Westcotes Drive, Leicester, LE3 0QT
Tel: 0116 2555921
View on map here.
- LOROS Hospice
Address: Groby Road, Leicester, LE3 9QE
Tel: 0116 2318431
View on map here.
- Newfoundpool Working Men’s Club
Address: 55 Beatrice Road, Leicester, LE3 9FJ
Tel: 0116 2627230
View on map here.
- O2 Academy
Address: Percy Gee Building, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH
Tel: 0116 2231111
Website: www.o2academyleicester.co.uk
View on map here.
- Rutland County Museum
Address: Catmos Street, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6HW
Tel: 01572 758440
View on map here.
- Stamford Arms
Address: 2 Leicester Road, Leicester, LE6 0DJ
Tel: 0116 2875616
View on map here.
- Strugess Suzuki
Address: Aylestone Road, Leicester, LE2 7NQ
Tel: 0116 3660342
Website: www.sturgessgroup.co.uk
View on map here.
- The Cricketers
Address: 1 Grace Road, Leicester, LE2 8AD
View on map here.
- The Fairfield Inn
Address: Gloucester Crescent, South Wigston, LE18 4YE
Tel: 0116 2786937
View on map here.
- The Rose and Crown
Address: 45 Main Street, Thurnby, LE7 9PJ
Tel: 0116 2419075
View on map here.
- The Royal Oak
Address: 35 Main Street, Kirby Muxloe, Leicester, LE9 2AN
Tel: 0116 2393166
View on map here.
- The Star and Garter
Address: 114 Leicester Road, Wigston, LE18 1DS
Tel: 0116 3191626
View on map here.
- The West End Centre
Address: Andrews Street, Leicester, LE3 5PA
Tel: 07739186948
View on map here.
- Upstairs at The Western
Address: 70 Western Road, Leicester, LE3 0GA
Tel: 0116 2545287
Website: www.steamin-billy.co.uk
View on map here.
- Warning Zone
Address: 30 Frog Island, Leicester, Le3 5AG
Tel: 0116 2629739
Website: www.warningzone.org.uk
View on map here.
Melton Mowbray
- 54A King Street Coffee Shop
Address: 54a King Street, Melton Mowbray, LE13 1XB
Tel: 01664 480234
View on map here.
- Melton Theatre
Address: Asfordby Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0HJ
Tel: 01664 851111
Website: www.meltontheatre.co.uk
View on map here.
- More Coffee Co
Address: 16 Market Place, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, Le13 1XD
Tel: 01664 560310
View on map here.
- The Noels Arms
Address: 31 Burton Street, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 1AE
Tel: 01664 562363
Website: www.thenoelarmsmeltonmowbray.co.uk
View on map here.
Loughborough
- Echos
Address: 5 Biggin Stree, Loughborough, LE11 1UA
Tel: 01509 213887
Website: www.echosnightclub.co.uk
View on map here.
- Holywell House
Address: 68A Leicester Road, Loughborough, LE11 2AG
Tel: 01509 731894
Website: www.holywellguesthouse.co.uk
View on map here.
- Loughborough College Arts Academy
Address: Radmoor Road, Loughborough, LE11 3BT
Tel: 01509 618375
View on map here.
- Loughborough Community, Library and Learning Centre
Address: Granby Stree, Loughborough, LE11 3DZ
Tel: 0119 3052420
Email: loughboroughlibrary@leic.gov.uk
View on map here.
- Loughborough Town Hall
Address: Market Place, Loughborough, LE11 3EB
Tel: 01509 231914
Website: www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk
View on map here.
- The Swan in the Rushes
Address: 21 The Rushes, Loughborough, LE11 5BE
Tel: 01509 217014
View on map here.