Yahoo News Hull Comedy Festival returning for 2024 with huge launch show lined up
Comedy superstar Chris Ramsey is set to headline a special launch event for Hull Comedy Festival.
The 2024 festival will kick off with the largest show in its history at Connexin Live on Friday, November 1.
Chris Ramsey will share the stage with Chloe Petts and several other comedians yet to be announced at the launch event, dubbed Live At Connexin. Tickets will be available for general sale from this Friday.
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Hull Comedy Festival has been a staple in the region since its inception in 2007. Held every November, it brings some of the UK's finest comedy talent to the city. This year's festival is set to bring laughter to local venues such as Hull Truck, Hull Comedy Lounge and the Edge Hub. The festival will showcase a variety of acts and performances including stand-up.
This year, festival organisers have partnered with Connexin Live to host a comedy showcase, featuring five top-tier comedians gracing the stage at the city centre venue. Chris Ramsey will be the star of the show, with Chloe Petts overseeing the proceedings. More comedians will be announced shortly.
The festival is making a comeback to Connexin Live for the first time since 2018 when the venue - then known as Hull Venue - hosted a test event prior to its official opening by Van Morrison. Sam Ryder, general manager at Connexin Live, said: "We are delighted to be teaming up with Hull Comedy Festival to host the biggest show in the festival's history. We all still fondly remember the test event held in the summer of 2018 to help get the Arena open and we're very much looking forward to the festival's return in November."
Jed Salisbury, director of Hull Comedy Festival, said: "l am delighted with our collaboration at Connexin Live. To partner with a venue that injects fresh life into Hull, this partnership presents the festival with a fantastic opportunity to welcome national comedy fans to the city and to bring eyes to grassroots comedy in Hull, encouraging greater support for Hull's talented comedians. We're excited to host this year's event at Connexin Live and celebrate the vibrant comedy scene that that is forever growing in Hull."
Gary Jennison, creative director at Hull Comedy Festival, also shared his excitement about the upcoming event. He said: "We're thrilled to be bringing a unique multi award winning comedy line up to Connexin Live. This will be the biggest event the Hull Comedy Festival has programmed.
"The festival is already on the icons wall at the venue and this event, being able to bring one of the biggest names in comedy with a sprinkle of Hull talent and multi award winning support acts, will be a night to remember and shine a light on the region's biggest comedy festival and the amazing comedy talent we have in the region. We are excited to showcase what the festival is all about on the biggest stage available and who knows, this could put us on the comedy map, whatever that is ..."
Chris Ramsey is a familiar face on TV screens. As well as Taskmaster (Channel 4), Chris is a recurring guest presenter for the One Show and hosted two series of his very own show.
Known for his appearances on The Chris Ramsey Show and Chris Ramsey's Stand up Central, he also made it to the semi-finals of Strictly Come Dancing in 2019. He has hosted I'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp and has appeared on shows such as the Royal Variety Performance, Live at the Apollo, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, A League of Their Own, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Celebrity Gogglebox, and Celebrity Juice.
Alongside his wife Rosie, he co-hosts the award-winning podcast Shagged. Married. Annoyed. , which has been downloaded over 100 million times. In 2021, they took their domestic wit from their living room to arenas around the country, and also performed two sold-out shows at Connexin Live in 2023.
Chloe Petts is a regular on The Frank Skinner Show and World Cup Breakfast, and previously appeared on Good Morning Euros for the UEFA Women's Euros. She has also featured on MOTDx, Jonathan Ross's Comedy Club, The Stand-Up Sketch Show, Richard Osman's House of Games, Random Acts, Hypothetical, Fighting Talk, BBC Three Quickies, and recently won Pointless Celebrities.
Tickets for Live at Connexin, priced at £32.50 each plus booking fee, will be available from 10am on Friday, June 28, from www.connexinlivehull.com or by visiting new official ticketing partner AXS. VIP and hospitality upgrades are also available for all shows. For further details email hull@eu.asmglobal.com
