FOUR DAY CARNIVAL OF COMEDY TO FEATURE IRISH AND INTERNATIONAL COMEDY GIANTS

THIS THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Carlsberg and Aiken Promotions are excited to announce the Carlsberg Comedy Carnival opens it's doors this Thursday, one of the most exciting events on the summer festival calendar with over 65 International and Irish giants of comedy, playing 40 shows over one unique carnival weekend. Carlsberg Comedy Carnival, named Best New Festival at the 2008 Irish Festival Awards, takes place over four days from this Thursday 23^rd to the 26^th July 2009 in the stunning setting of the exclusive Iveagh Gardens. 

The Carlsberg Comedy Carnival features an impressive line-up of world-class comedians as well as a dynamic array of performance artists and musicians, plus great food, chilled beer and drinks in a vibrant, carnivalesque surrounding. Whilst tickets are sold on a show by show basis starting from just €23, comedy fans across the country can use their ticket as a festival pass for the full day to soak up the entertainment, atmosphere and the setting for the ultimate day out including; picnic areas, the Carlsberg Deck and Carlsberg ‘C' Lounge - in their own private park!

The international line-up for Carlsberg Comedy Carnival includes both team captains from Channel 4's ‘8 Out of 10 Cats' with Sean Lock performing as a special guest to the mighty stars of 'Whose Line is it Anyway', and Mancunian Jason Manford making his Irish debut. ‘Celebrity Big Brother' host Jack Whitehall, ‘Flight of the Conchords' landlord Eugene Mirman & the bongo playing 'Third Conchord' Todd Barry (who also played Mickey Rourke's supermarket boss in The Wrestler) will also appear. The cream of Irish comedy will be appearing over the weekend including Andrew Maxwell, Des Bishop, PJ Gallagher, Apres Match, Neil Delamere, Jason Byrne, David O'Doherty, Maeve Higgins, Ardal O'Hanlon, and Colin Murphy.

Julie Allman, Brand Manager, Carlsberg said, Carlsberg Comedy Carnival is a unique event where the best in stand-up and improv comedy, musicians, street performers and great food all come together in the intimate setting of the Iveagh Gardens. This year we are particularly excited to have a very special Irish debut of the 25 piece live music sensations ‘Carnival Collective' giving festival goers even more to enjoy!"

Festival Director, Bren Berry, Aiken Promotions said "The Carlsberg Comedy Carnival has an incredible atmosphere and live comedy is just the ticket to get everyone upbeat for the summer.  This year we're delighted to host a special show celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Des & Aidan Bishop's International Comedy Club. Other fantastic international acts include Saturday Night Live writer Leo Allen, Australian virtuoso rock god Tim Minchin, Drag City recording artist Neil Hamburger, the exciting Dutch (yes Dutch!) Hans Teeuwen, and the brilliant Reginald D Hunter."

The shows will be performed in four magnificent, fully-seated, purpose-built venues, including the impressive and atmospheric Iveagh Theatre tent, the Carlsberg Comedy Carousel, the intimate Shack and the stunning Magic Mirrors Palace, a Spiegeltent, which is being shipped in from Belgium. 

Tickets are on sale now and are available from http://www.ticketmaster.ie/, the booking line 0818 719300, and all usual outlets. Tickets for the event will be sold on a show by show basis.

Carlsberg Comedy Carnival is a strictly over 18s event.

For further information see http://www.carlsbergcomedy.com/ / http://www.aikenpromotions.com/

Enjoy Carlsberg responsibly.

Visit http://www.drinkaware.ie/           

Aiken Promotions would also like to acknowledge that this event will be staged in the Iveagh Gardens, by kind permission of the Office of Public Works, which manages this National Historic Property.

The Iveagh Gardens are among the finest of Dublin's parks and gardens and were originally landscaped as part of the International Exhibition of 1865 ‘to afford to the people of Dublin and its neighbourhood national amusement'. So it is particularly appropriate to realise this vision over 140 years later by holding a comedy carnival in this historic setting.

The full line-up of comedians