A COMEDY extravaganza is set to return this summer with a five-day festival of open-air performances.

Brighton Comedy Garden will take place from Wednesday, July 14 to Sunday, July 18 at Preston Park.

Sara Pascoe, Dara Ó Briain, Alan Davies and Aisling Bea are among the line-up of stars to grace a new outdoor stage, which replaces the Big Top tent used previously.

Tickets will be sold in multiples of two and the event has been specially redesigned with added flexibility to introduce social distancing if needed.

Having enjoyed a successful launch in 2019, last year's festival was cancelled due to the pandemic, and organisers Cass Randolph and Will Briggs are excited to be bringing live comedy back to the city.

The Argus: Sara Pascoe and Josh Widdicombe Sara Pascoe and Josh Widdicombe

The sibling team, of the London-based 57 Festivals, already successfully delivered a Covid-secure event with their Greenwich Comedy Festival in September 2020.

Cass said: “We were heartbroken to have to cancel last year’s event.

"We were really looking forward to returning especially after such a strong first year.

"But everything is in front of us now and we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have been able to reimagine our event to suit these challenging times.”

Will said: “We’ve got an unbelievable line-up and can’t wait to get these acts in front of our Brighton audience.

The Argus: There will be stand-up from comedian and Brighton resident Maisie Adams There will be stand-up from comedian and Brighton resident Maisie Adams

"We’re working closely with the local council and our suppliers to make sure we deliver an event that is safe and enjoyable for everyone - and above all, very funny.”

Nish Kumar, Josh Widdicombe and Tom Allen are also on the bill, as well as Brighton's own Maisie Adams, Netflix star Phil Wang, Taskmaster’s Jamali Maddix and ventriloquist Nina Conti.

There will be more laughs from podcast stars Ed Gamble and John Robins, award-winning Sindhu Vee and Darren Harriot, plus many more.

Festival-goers will also be able to enjoy a range of pop-up bars serving craft beers and summer cocktails, as well as dishes from local street-food sellers.

Tickets are on sale now at £25 each, sold in multiples of two.

For more information and to book, visit www.brightoncomedygarden.co.uk.