Edinburgh Comedy Festival was a short-lived festival of comedy shows which operated during the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

in August 2008 and 2009. Effectively a marketing campaign for the "Big Four" venues at the Fringe -

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

Gilded Balloon Gilded Balloon is a producer and promoter of live entertainment events, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and best known as one of the Big Four venue operators at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each August. The company has its origins in a venue kn ...

, Pleasance and

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

- the designation was quietly dropped after widespread media and industry criticism.

History

In the 1990s, an attempt was made to create an Edinburgh Comedy Festival in August, with a cigarette brand as the sponsor. The idea was revived, however, when, in June 2008, many news stories and commentaries appeared in the media about the launch of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, both positive and negative. Much was reported of the lack of sponsorship in the festival's first year, following reports that collectively, the four venues involved in the festival had made a £76,000 loss in 2007. At a

press conference A press conference or news conference is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicians, corporations, non-governmental organ ...

on Thursday 5 June explanations were made of the intention to plough

sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

money back into the festival, with the long-term goal of making the festival cheaper for acts. One prominent critic of the move was

Tommy Sheppard Thomas or Tommy Sheppard may refer to: * Thomas Sheppard (cricketer) (1873–1954), English cricketer * Thomas Sheppard (MP) (1766–1858), Whig (and then Conservative) Member of Parliament (MP) for Frome *Sir Thomas Sheppard, 1st Baronet (died 182 ...

, owner of Edinburgh comedy venue,

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, which itself hosts many

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

shows as part of the Fringe. Sheppard was invited to form part of the festival but refused in spring 2008. Sheppard was, and is, director of the

Glasgow International Comedy Festival Glasgow International Comedy Festival is a comedy festival in Glasgow, Scotland. The comedy festival started in 2002 and is held annually in March in venues across the city. The festival is supported financially by Glasgow City Council and since ...

. The Edinburgh Comedy Festival 2008 ran from 30 July–25 August, alongside the 2008 Fringe. Only performances at

, Pleasance and

came under its auspices. The four venues produced a joint brochure consisting of two sides - one presented as the Edinburgh Comedy Festival brochure, with shows of all other genres at those venues listed on the other side. The shows in the Comedy Festival programme represented almost 90% of the comedy at the 2008 Fringe. High-profile names in the 2008 festival include

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

Paul Merton Paul James Martin (born 9 July 1957), known under the stage name Paul Merton, is an English writer, actor, comedian and radio and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, Merton's humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and someti ...

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.John Pinette John Paul Pinette ( ) (March 23, 1964 – April 5, 2014) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and Broadway performer. He toured the comedy club circuit beginning in the 1980s and appeared in cinema and on television. Besides stand-up, Pinet ...

. The Edinburgh Comedy Festival ran again in 2009, from 5–31 August. The term "Edinburgh Comedy Festival" has since ceased to be used, although the Big Four venues continue to produce a combined brochure.

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite web , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/comedy/progpages/seriousaboutcomedy2.shtml, title=Serious About Comedy , accessdate= 2008-07-09 , work= BBC 7 {{cite web , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/paulinemclean/2008/06/laughs_lacking_for_breakaway.html , title=Laughs lacking for 'breakaway' , accessdate= 2008-07-09 , work= BBC News {{cite web, url=http://www.edcomfest.com/news.aspx?article=15 , title=Edinburgh Comedy Festival 2009 dates announced , accessdate=2009-01-31 , work=Submitting a show to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival 2009 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912033226/http://www.edcomfest.com/news.aspx?article=15 , archivedate=12 September 2008 {{cite web , url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburghfestivalfringe/Making-Capital39s-comedy-festival-work.3907865.jp , title=Making Capital's comedy festival work is a serious business, accessdate= 2008-07-09, work= Anthony Alderson speaking to Edinburgh Evening News about Edinburgh Comedy Festival {{cite web , title=Q&A: The Edinburgh Comedy Festival , url=http://www.edinburghguide.com/story/edinburghcomedyfestival/1862 , accessdate= 2008-07-09 , work= Edinburgh Guide.com {{cite web , url=http://www.fringereport.com/art080605edinburghcomedyfestival.php , title=Edinburgh Comedy Festival 2008 - London Press Launch , accessdate= 2008-07-09 , work= Fringe Report {{cite news , url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/theatre/2008/03/does_the_fringe_need_a_separat.html , title=Does the Fringe need a separate comedy festival?, accessdate= 2008-07-09 , work= The Guardian website , location=London , first=Brian , last=Logan , date=2008-03-26 {{cite web , url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburghfestivalfringe/Comedy-awards-boss-warns-Fringe39s.3981300.jp, title=Comedy awards boss warns Fringe's 'big four' over split, accessdate= 2008-07-09 , work= Scotsman Article {{cite web , url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/20917/edinburgh-comedy-festival-launches-without, title=Edinburgh comedy festival launches without sponsor , accessdate= 2008-07-09 , work= The Stage {{cite web , url = http://www.thestand.co.uk/fringe2008/ , title = SCOTLAND’S COMEDY FLAGSHIP REMAINS AT THE HEART OF THE FRINGE , accessdate = 2008-07-09 , work = The Stand website , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080802182243/http://www.thestand.co.uk/fringe2008/ , archivedate = 2 August 2008 Comedy festivals in Scotland Recurring events established in 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe