A weekend of laughs at the 2011 Galway Comedy Festival

Galway’s comedy festival has grown since its beginning in 2005 to become a major event on the comedy circuit in Ireland, regularly attracting big international names to the city for the October Bank Holiday weekend.

This years Bulmers Galway Comedy Festival (26th – 31st October) features a massively diverse list of international and national headliners in addition to alternative and burgeoning talent.

A heady mix of comedy superstars including Tim Minchin, Dylan Moran, Andrew Maxwell with ‘Andrew Maxwell’s Late Night Spectacular Full Mooners’, Rubberbandits Halloween Rave, David O’Doherty, Rich Hall, ‘4 Poofs and a Piano’, ‘Faulty Towers Dining Experience’, Ardal O’Hanlon, Neil Delamere, Colin Murphy, ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’Dead Cat Bounce, Mike Wilmot, Ian D. Montfort, Scott Capurro, Hector, Barry Murphy, Jarred Christmas and Tiffany Stevenson plus many more – descend on the city to make Galway your unmissable comedy destination this October.

A series of special events circle the festival, seriously up-ing the fun factor including the first annual Galway Comedy Festival Donkey Derby - a special charity event filled with 100% fun, donkey-friendly activities. In the end, the Donkey Sanctuary will be the real winner. Then, roll up, roll up for late night Joker Poker! Just like the TV version, this live show sees comedians playing poker with. each careful move projected on large screens. Who’s bluffing? Who’s winning? Who cares? The audience are in the game. In the afterglow from your favourite comedy stars, you’ll want to continue that festival feeling and the Festival Club will be waiting! The nightly ‘Apres Glee’ at Roisin Dubh features Dead Cat Bounce: Bootlegs and Mash Ups, Duke Special, Silent Disco and Brassroots.

6 action-packed days and nights of comedy include early shows, late shows, a rocking festival club and a series of unexpected special featured events. Bulmers Galway Comedy Festival 2011. The October Bank Holiday Weekend never looked so good.

If there is anywhere in Ireland that knows how to ‘do’ a festival it’s Galway, and as usual there will be plenty of entertainment in pubs and other venues around town during the festival week. For more information or to book tickets click here.