Mayor declares Crawley WORDFest 2016 officially open at comedy evening

WORDFest '“ Crawley's annual two-week festival of words '“ officially began on Tuesday, April 12, with a comedy evening.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Apr 2016, 09:22 BST
Updated 18th Apr 2016, 11:25 BST

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Russell Hicks. Picture by Simon EdwardsRussell Hicks. Picture by Simon Edwards
Russell Hicks. Picture by Simon Edwards

The Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Chris Cheshire, launched the event at Crawley Library.

It may seem an unlikely venue for a comedy night but more than 100 people attended to enjoy seasoned stand-ups from the UK circuit, including Ola, Stephen Bailey, Chris Betts, Adam Riley and compere Russell Hicks.

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Organisers said the venue felt more like a club than a library, complete with a stage, cabaret-style seating arrangements, a free bar and atmospheric lighting.

Ola. Picture by Simon EdwardsOla. Picture by Simon Edwards
Ola. Picture by Simon Edwards

The audience were encouraged to laugh, cheer, clap and “make some noise” as the five top-notch acts each took their turn on stage.

“I am incredibly proud of all the initiatives, such as WORDFest, that I have seen around Crawley,” said Cllr Cheshire. “Long may they continue. It is my great pleasure to officially launch WORDFest 2016.”

The stand-ups were handpicked by independent Sussex comedy club Grinstock.

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Crawley Wordfest 2016 features a range of exciting author talks, creative workshops, spoken word performances, recitals and more, mostly for free. It runs until World Book Night, an international celebration of reading, on Saturday. April 23.

Stephen Bailey. Picture by Simon EdwardsStephen Bailey. Picture by Simon Edwards
Stephen Bailey. Picture by Simon Edwards

Click here for the full 2016 programme, or follow WORDFest on Twitter and Facebook.

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Mayor of Crawley Chris Cheshire. Picture by Simon EdwardsMayor of Crawley Chris Cheshire. Picture by Simon Edwards
Mayor of Crawley Chris Cheshire. Picture by Simon Edwards

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