Apparently, Hull Comedy Festival, is the “arguably the fastest growing Comedy Festival in the UK” (according to RealYorkshire)

Whilst that might be pushing the boat out a little, we can all appreciate the effort it takes to promote the event and Hull in general.

As with anything, it’s good to support these events, especially with big names like Al Murray and impressionist Alistair McGowan amongst the 200 comedians.

And as the Hull Daily Mail claims, aside from bringing a smile to faces, the festival should also provide a welcome boost to the local economy – whether that’s through people visiting pubs, restaurants or staying in hotels in Hull

Interested? You can find out more about the line up, times and details on the Hull Comedy website.

It’s Hull Fair time again, starting on Friday 9^th October to Sunday 17^th October 2009.

We’re now celebrating over 700 years of Hull Fair, including white-knuckle rides, side stalls and not forgetting the biggest ride of them all…? Those scary looking tea-cups, designed for small children (although you often catch the parents on them too!)

It no doubt frustrates the neighbouring residents as they watch the cars pile in to park up as near as possible though. Don’t forget the Park & Ride to Hull Fair or other buses to the Walton Street site if you’re looking for that hassle free evening or want to avoid candy-floss in your car…

Enjoy!

I was reading on the humberbusiness website about the whole host of sporting events that are coming to this region in the next couple of months.

It’s quite an impressive list given the usual complaints that Hull & the Humber never attracts anything big…

The Winmau World Masters Darts Championship hits Bridlington in September (4^th – 6^th) and will be live on the BBC, as well as the British Darts Open.

We’ve also scooped the chance to host on of the British Kite Surfing Championships in September on Bridlington’s South Beach

Finally, our stretch of coastline is also home to the European Open Beach Championship, which is now the biggest 3-day beach angling tournament in Europe, and we’ve also already seen the Men’s National Cycle Race tearing round Beverley this year.

And of course, we can now (for the time being at least) boast proudly of having the best football team in Yorkshire. The question is; how much longer can we stay a top-flight football team at the rate we’re going??…

We are, apparently, the UK’s City of Freedom. A made-up term if ever I heard one, but the sentiment is there.

It all links, of course, to Hull’s most famous son – William Wilberforce – and we’re celebrating the 250^th anniversary of his birth this year as part of the Freedom Festival.

In case you missed last year’s, the festival is planned for 11^th – 13^th September 2009 and we’re being promised that the city will be awash with activity and entertainment throughout the weekend; a Jazz Festival in the Marina, The Proms in Queen Victoria Square and live bands performing in Queen’s Gardens.

This year’s Freedom Festival will also incorporate the start of the Clipper 2009-10 Round the World Yacht Race, so we really are celebrating and pushing the boat out.

 All in all, looks like a good weekend is brewing. You can keep an eye out on the latest news for announcements of times, performers and venues here

It’s not often that you see hoards of women dressed in pink putting themselves through considerable amounts of pain (whether it’s actually on the day, or the training leading up to the event). But it’s for a fantastic cause and worth every ounce of energy.

Your chance to see it all is on Sunday 31^st May, at 11am, when the Hull Race for Life kicks off. It’s always an amazing event, which strikes the very delicate balance of emotion and high excitement.

To register, visit Raceforlife and join in one of the 230+ events being held across the country from May to July. The aim is to raise over £60m to fund Cancer Research UK’s work, which you can read more about here 

(In case you missed it last year, the race is at Costello Stadium on Anlaby Park Road North, HU4 6XQ)

I am proud to say that I have never missed a Hull Fair.

Bob Carver’s chips, bright lights, stomach-churning rides, toffee apples and a great view of the City from the Big Wheel – what more could you ask for?

I know it’s got some complaints over the years – and with everything these days it seems to be more and more expensive each year – but I just think it’s magic. The weather always seems to hold out, I get wonderfully disorientated each time with all the distractions and you always end up with a prize.

Favourite memory? Winning the bingo and having the choice of a new kitchenware set or a desk lamp. Trust me, at the time, I was overwhelmed!

I love walking down Walton Street and seeing all the stalls, and a particular favourite has to be watching the terrified faces of the people regretting their choice of white-knuckle ride.

Don’t miss out on this year’s Hull Fair, it’s from Friday 10^th Oct to Saturday 18^th Oct (excluded Sun 12^th Oct).

Yet again another good reason to visit Hull appears on the horizon; the Global Food Festival (22^nd – 24^th August).

As the hosts, the centre of Hull is set to be transformed for the giant food extravaganza, which judging by last year’s event, could pull in more than 100,000 extra visitors to the city.

The festivals website promises the line up will be “just as impressive” as last year too. They’ve organised cookery demonstrations on the big screen by Yorkshire-born celebrity chef, James Martin, and Celebrity chef and host of BBC2’s Ready Steady Cook, Ainsley Harriott, will be the taking to the main stage on the Saturday of the festival.

So, along with the success of Hull’s Business Week, which attracted the likes of Elle MacPherson, Gordon Ramsay and Sir Bob Geldof, Hull is proving yet again to be pulling out all the stops.

You can find out more about the festival here. Even if it’s not quite your cup of tea, the free samples alone should make the trip worthwhile…

Putting Hull on the map of headline acts

I’ve often heard people complain that Hull doesn’t attract the sort of headline music acts compared to the bigger cities, especially with the Birmingham NIA, Sheffield Arena and even Leeds Festival all drawing in the crowds.

They couldn’t be more wrong. Hull Arena constantly turns out quality bands and shows, and has had its fair share of headline acts; The Kaiser Chiefs, Faithless, Keane and Robbie Williams to name but a few. Now the Bridlington Spa has been refurbished, we’re also gearing up for the likes of the Sugababes (28^th Aug 08), The Kooks and Scouting for Girls (both November 2008).

No doubt these will all sell out. All we need now is something like Radio 1’s Big Weekend to choose Hull as their next venue and suddenly we’ll be on the map.

Don’t forget you can leave a comment to tell us all about it if you’re going to any of these events, or if you are visiting Hull and need somewhere to stay or eat, you can visit our directory, Cityvistor.