Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival 2018

It’s safe to say that this is one fringe with real benefits… principle amongst which are (1) it’s in Hastings (2) it’s 99% free entry and (3) the quality of the acts is top notch. Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival is a real labour of love for it’s organisers. Run on a shoestring, it somehow manages to pack a serious punch without any sense of corners being cut. Venues are small and intimate – which is always a plus (unless you are the shy and retiring audience type who doesn’t fancy getting picked out for some gentle ribbing from time to time) and the only risk you run is that popular ones may fill up quickly. Running over four days in June each year, this is a festival you should mark in your calendar if you want to see some of the top circuit acts trying out new material before launching it on bigger stages. This is an 8.5/10 with real scope to score full marks in years to come… Photos by Sara Bowrey