A line-up of more than 40 internationally known comics is expected to draw 30,000 comedy fans to Kilkenny this summer for the 13th Smithwick's Cat Laughs Comedy Festival.
The five-day event, which is scheduled to run from May 31 stto June 4th, was formally launched in Dublin yesterday by festival organisers, with a ribbon cutting by one of its top performers, comedian PJ Gallagher.
According to Eddie Bannon, the festival's artistic director, this year's event will have a
slightly different feel to previous years.
In addition to contemporary comedy acts, visitors will be able to step back in time with showings of classic silent comedy films starring Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd.
"This year, we'll have more of a sense of nostalgia," said Mr Bannon. "Last year, we had a raw, 'New York' feel and that worked really well, but this year we're focusing on making things very classy."
The Kilkenny festival is one of just a few invitation-only comedy events in the world. As a result, it attracts top names every year. Among this year's scheduled performers are Tommy Tiernan, Ardal
O'Hanlon, Des Bishop and American TV regular Lewis Black.
Other performers hail from Ireland, England, Scotland, Australia, the US and Canada.
The festival also gives up-and-coming comics a chance to perform. Twenty-four new comedians will perform as the "Comedy Cats".
Mr Bannon said that, after more than a decade of successful festivals, the Cat Laughs event has become a sort of "pilgrimage" for comedy fans of all ages.