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13th Aug 2019

The line-up for the Vodafone Comedy Carnival in Galway is massively impressive

Rory Cashin

vodafone comedy carnival

Some of the biggest names in comedy are descending on the west.

Running from Tuesday 22 to Monday 28 October, the Vodafone Comedy Carnival will be taking place in 18 venues across Galway.

The festival hub will be found in Eyre Square, but over 75 shows and over 100 acts will be performing over the extended Bank Holiday Weekend, and some of the names that have been announced should send any comedy fans into a frenzy.

Ready? Okay… (deep breath)… Bill Bailey, John Bishop, Ross Noble, Jason Byrne, Reginald D Hunter, Ardal O’Hanlon, Omid Djalili, Rich Hall, and Shappi Khorsandi are just some of the acts set to hit up the Carnival, and there will also be shows from Bingo Loco (read our deep dive on that magnificent night out right here), Waterford Whispers News, The Two Johnnies, and Today FM’s Dermot & Dave.

There is also some random, but still-funny events like The Dirty Circus Hallowe’en Extravaganza, the Comedy Club Crawl (which was reportedly HUGE at the 2018 Carnival), Stephen Frost’s Improv AllStars (a Whose Line Is It Anyway? style improv show), the Comedy Roast Battle, and the Wild Atlantic Wahey Mystery Tour.

Festival Artistic Director Martyne Green said: “We are delighted once again to bring such a wonderful array of comedy talent to the city we love. We would especially like to thank Vodafone for their continued support as this is their sixth year as title sponsor. Their outstanding commitment to live comedy is remarkable and allows us to put on such an amazing programme in this, our fourteenth edition of the festival.

“We would also like to thank Galway City Council for allowing us to locate our Comedy Village in Eyre Square. I would also like to express my gratitude to our business supporters (The FOC’ers), drinks partners Diageo and Fáilte Ireland, whose financial support has helped us with our Edinburgh launch and international marketing initiatives.”

Tickets go on sale on Friday 16 August at 10am at www.vodafonecomedycarnival.com, where you can also find all the dates, times, and details for all the events on offer.

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