Leeds Comedy Festival will be an 8-day gala of giggles from this weekend!

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

If laughter is the best medicine, then Leeds is about to open up its own pharmacy of fun!

The second annual Leeds Comedy Festival will run from this Saturday June 4 to 11, and a host of stars will be plying their witty wares at three venues in the city.

The Wardrobe, Milo and the Hi-Fi Club will serve as the backdrops as stand-up stars from across the country bid to tickle our funny bones and get Leeds laughing.

There will be 29 shows in total over the eight days of the festival, with around 55 comedians taking to the stage.

The packed bill includes familiar faces and voices from TV and radio - among them Phill Jupitus, Richard Herring, Stephen K Amos, Hardeep Singh Kohli and Milton Jones - and a laugh-spectrum ranging from quirky and surreal to deadpan and razor-sharp satire.

Milton Jones said ahead of his sold-out gig at The Wardrobe on Monday: “I plan to give everyone in Leeds a huge boost. Then they can all lick the chocolate off it!”

Festival organiser Toby Jones has 20 years of experience as a comedy promoter. He first had the idea for a Leeds comedy festival two years ago and, after last year’s inaugural - much smaller - event was well received, he decided to go even bigger and better this year.