A POPULAR venue is celebrating 25 years in business with a new mural.

The Komedia, in Gardner Street, Brighton, has been open for a quarter of a century and to mark the occasion the comedy and music hotspot has had a mural painted on the side of the building.

The painting depicts a typical Komedia stage, complete with lights and curtains.

And staff at the venue are delighted with how it has turned out.

Spokeswoman Kelly Edwards-Good said: “We wanted to do something for our birthday, that will hopefully last as long as possible.

“We’re really happy with how it has come out, it looks great.

“And hopefully people who don’t know us will come by and see what we’re all about.”

To create a buzz around the mural the Komedia team has set up a competition to find Brighton’s best “poser”.

A microphone is attached to the mural and Komedia wants visitors to take their photo with the piece of art and strike a pose with the microphone.

It is encouraging people to upload the photos to Instagram using the hashtag #letthegoodtimesroll.

The best photo will win its taker a year’s worth of tickets to the Komedia’s signature comedy night, Krater Comedy Club.

The competition closes on May 3, Komedia’s official anniversary.

Kelly said: “We wanted it to be a photo opportunity for people.

“People in Brighton love street art.”

The artist behind the mural is Will from Studio Sangre.

Will is a big fan of Komedia and says he was honoured the paint the piece that will live on the venue’s wall for a long time.

He said: “The piece took me two days.

“The Komedia is a huge part of Brighton.

“It has hosted so many incredible events over they years and I myself have been to countless comedy, gigs and club nights there.

“I’m very pleased with how it has turned out and I hope it is enjoyed by everyone.”

Brighton Komedia was formed in May 1994 by Colin Granger, Marina Kobler and David Lavender.

It started life in a converted billiard hall in Kemp Town and moved to Gardner Street in 2000.

Komedia has a sister location in Bath, which opened in 2008.

The Komedia is often regarded as one of the best comedy clubs in the country, with comedians coming from across the globe to perform there.