Market Harborough gets in on the act as Leicester Comedy Festival shows are set to come to town

Top comedian Arthur Smith and Edinburgh Fringe hit Dads Army Radio Hour will be amongst the comedy events coming to Market Harborough next February as part of a major comedy festival.
Comedy launch...Sairah Butt Market & Events manager, Lesley Bowles chairman of Harborough District Council, Geoff Rowe Director of Leicester Comedy and Bev Jolly joint chief executive of Harborough District Council during the launch at the Angel hotel.
PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER NNL-180611-160223005Comedy launch...Sairah Butt Market & Events manager, Lesley Bowles chairman of Harborough District Council, Geoff Rowe Director of Leicester Comedy and Bev Jolly joint chief executive of Harborough District Council during the launch at the Angel hotel.
PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER NNL-180611-160223005
Comedy launch...Sairah Butt Market & Events manager, Lesley Bowles chairman of Harborough District Council, Geoff Rowe Director of Leicester Comedy and Bev Jolly joint chief executive of Harborough District Council during the launch at the Angel hotel. PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER NNL-180611-160223005

The Big Weekend of comedy from February 21 to 24 is the local “branch” of the huge Leicester Comedy Festival 2019, the biggest of its kind in Europe, now in its 26th year.

There will be 11 shows in five Market Harborough venues – Harborough Market, The Angel Hotel, Harborough Theatre, Beerhouse and The Angel Hotel.

Cllr Neil Bannister, Leader of Harborough District Council which helped bring the event to the town, said: “This is a new venture for the council and we hope the public get behind the event so we can look at making it bigger and better in years to come.”

Geoff Rowe, Leicester Comedy Festival Director said: “We are delighted to be bringing our Big Weekend to Harborough district as part of Leicester Comedy Festival 2019. The overall festival includes hundreds of shows in venues across Leicester and Leicestershire but we are especially thrilled to be working with venues and promoters in Harborough district.

The woman who co-ordinated the Market Harborough events is Jo Herdman, a clinical psychologist and mum of three who lives in the town.

“I wanted to get involved because comedy is really important in my family” she said.

Further details and tickets for The Big Weekend and the full Leicester Comedy Festival 2019 and are available at www.comedy-festival.co.uk