More venues host socially-distanced gigs

Stand-ups including Phil Wang, Flo & Joan and Sindhu Vee are to perform at Warwick Castle, as the medieval stronghold becomes the latest unusual venue to host open-air comedy.

The castle, which dates from 1068, is hosting a festival mixing music and comedy, with the audience sitting in pre-booked personalised pergolas holding up to six people to be Covid-19 compliant.

Yoga and hog-roasts also feature in the event, which starts on September 17 with a comedy line-up comprising  Alison Spittle, Carl Donnelly, Flo and Joan, Jacob Hawley and Thanyia Moore.  Full listings.

 Francesca Nally of organisers Midsummer Nightcap said:  ‘This really is a socially-distanced outdoor experience like no other  in one of the most beautiful locations anywhere in the country.’

Higginson Park, next to the Thames  in Marlow, Buckingshamshire, has also announced a Picnic In The Park festival. It features comedy on September 24, headlined by Tom Allen, and 25, headlined by Dara O Briain.

In London, a festival  at Chiswick House comes to an end on Wednesday, with Omid Djalili just announced as the surprise headliner.

And perhaps less glamorously, Roof East – a venue atop a multi-storey car park in Stratford, East London, has a week of comedy from this Sunday, featuring the likes of Simon Amstell, Ed Gamble and Sara Pascoe. Listings.

Meanwhile, comics who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent – Lost Voice Guy, Ben Hart, Daliso Chaponda, Steve Royle and Nabil Abdul Rashid – are appearing at  DriveInside, a giant tent theatre in Manchester on the afternoon of Saturday October 3. Audiences drive in, but can sit outside their car, underneath a giant marquee.

Published: 7 Sep 2020