Sample some Scottish culture in Edinburgh comedy clubs

Tuesday 20th July 2010, 8:00AM BST.

Sample some Scottish culture in Edinburgh comedy clubs

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Edinburgh is a city famed for its cultural roots. It’s a place that puts on the world’s largest cultural event every single summer and one full of comedic heritage.

Well in keeping with that fine tradition set out by Edinburgh comedy clubs, highlight now offers some of the UK’s finest and funniest comedy nights all year round to ensure that the fun, food and frolics are not confined to just one season of the year.

At one point or another, we’ve all been faced with that most familiar and yet achingly irritating of problems – where should we go on our night out? Well, highlight comedy clubs offer a real alternative for anybody looking for a funny, affordable and exciting night out.

There could no better place to set up a comedy club than in Edinburgh, home to the fringe festival and its very own comedy festival. Comedy is at the very heart of the Scottish capital’s cultural heritage. If this sounds like your cup of tea then head on down to the Omni Centre, where every Friday and Saturday night you can catch a comedy show that as long as you bring along your sense of humour, will go down a treat.

After the comedy has finished though, don’t worry, you won’t be ushered slowly to the door, but rather unusually for a comedy club, you’ll be encouraged to stay and revel in the delights of the adjoining nightclub next door to the 300-capacity club.

If you’re sick of treading the same tired boards at the same clubs, full of the same old tired faces, then highlight has got to be the choice for you.

The chain of comedy clubs was born after the famous chain of Jongleurs clubs went into receivership. Fortunately however, it was saved from the point of extinction and now houses some of the best comedy routines you’re ever likely to see on our fair shores.

It’s safe to say that highlight is the home of live comedy and up and down the breadth of the country clubs have been opened up to the paying public to serve your catering needs, your comedy fix and save you the need to club hop and switch venues every five minutes.

At highlight’s venues you not only get to see a top notch selection of some of the country’s finest up-and-coming stand ups, you can have dinner with friends and family and should it take your fancy, you can also hang around after all the laughter has stopped, well on stage at least, for the nightclub that takes over afterwards.

In a day and age of increased competitiveness and with the consumer demanding more for their buck than ever before, especially in fiscally prudent times such as these, highlight has come up with an ingenious way of keeping the night going in one spot and you can’t falter the accessibility and ease the venues offer.

The clubs promote creative freedom and the qualities that made Jongleurs clubs legendary in the past are still here today. It still very much has a cutting edge ethos at its core and some of the names to perform this summer such as Ron Vaudry, Dave Johns and Alex Boardman are as good as you’ll get anywhere else.

But don’t worry, if you can’t get up – or down – depending on where you’re coming from, to Edinburgh, then fear not because Birmingham comedy clubs have been given the highlight treatment and England’s second-city has been awarded with its flagship venue.

For those of you that know Birmingham city centre well, the heart of all the action is undoubtedly Broad Street, and this is where the comedy club is situated. The venue can accommodate 395 guests and is ideal for stag and hen parties where you can reserve seating and comedy tickets in advance, with the club capable of catering for large parties.

The Birmingham venue boasts a rather impressive seven bars in the six rooms available, so there won’t be much need to queue for too long to get your round in. There are shows every Friday and Saturday evenings and the bar downstairs, Risa, is open during the week with an after-party taking place here on Thursday nights.

The adjoining club though is what has really attracted rave reviews, numerous awards over the past seven years and punters galore. The club can house a whopping 2,400 clubbers. Yes, you did read that right, and it means after the belly laughs are over, the night doesn’t have to end there, so make sure you put your glad rags on as well as your dancing shoes and paint the town red to all the latest tracks, cheesy numbers and 70s, 80s and 90s favourites.

The West Yorkshire city of Leeds also plays host to vibrant comedy club. Leeds comedy clubs can often go unnoticed in the midst of the wealth of bars, clubs and pubs around the place, but not highlight. With the venue situated at the Cube, every night is a memorable one and people flock to Leeds city centre from the surrounding areas on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

As is the case with comedy clubs in Edinburgh and Birmingham, the fun doesn’t stop after the acts finish in Leeds either, and the adjoining club here can house up to an impressive 1,500 partygoers on its two dance floors.

Whether you’re new to comedy clubs or a seasoned pro, highlight offers the best alternative to a standard night out that you’re likely to find. The top-notch acts make it the perfect start to an evening on the tiles, and once the stand ups have finished their acts, the night doesn’t have to stop – you just need to remember to bring your dancing shoes.

Well, there you have it – if you’re bored of bar hopping and seeing the same old tired faces every night out, then highlight offers a viable, new and fresh alternative to every night owl’s needs.



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