Machynlleth is preparing to quadruple in size for this year’s Comedy Festival.

The town, which becomes sleepy over winter, with many businesses and hotels closing in January, has dusted off the cobwebs as preparations have begun to host the 15th annual Comedy Festival.

The small town of 2,000 will be heaving with more than 8,000 people over the early May Bank Holiday from Friday 1 till Sunday 3rd, hosting some of the best names in comedy, as well as must-see up-and-comers.

Henry Widdicombe, founder of Machynlleth Comedy Festival, said: “Machynlleth is a very special place for us.

“It is a beautiful and friendly Welsh market town where we can have a range of venues all within a ten-minute walk of each other.

“We chose it for our first festival and have been delighted to return for 15 years.

“It is a fantastic setting to provide a relaxed space for artists to try new work in front of warm, receptive audiences.”

The line-up boasts household names from Stewart Lee, Tim Key, Sara Pascoe, Mike Wozniak, and James Acaster, as well as Welsh stars Kiri Pritchard-McClean and Robin Morgan, with many of the shows already sold out.

As well as bringing laughter to the town, the festival also hosts theatre, child-friendly shows and music at the Big Top tent from local bands including the Machynlleth Sunshine Jazz Band and artists from across Wales such as Honddu, Pys Melyn and Crinc.

The comedy festival began in 2010, growing in popularity to become a destination for comedy for people all over the UK and becoming synonymous with the town.

The festival has played no small part in putting the town on the map for the masses - the town, once the Ancient Capital of Wales, has been consistently named in TimeOut guides as one of the most “underrated” destinations for holidays and winter breaks, and recently received a travel write-up in the i paper.

Ahead of the festival, the town is sprucing itself up, with a team of residents running a Town Pride Day to clean signs, litter pick and weed the town “from top to bottom”.

It comes as the Comedy Festival puts its weight behind the bid to become the first-ever UK Town of Culture in 2028.

Confirming his backing, Henry Widdicombe said the Festival would happily contribute to the Town of Culture programme if Machynlleth was successful: “Machynlleth would be a very deserving winner, and if they are crowned UK Town of Culture, we look forward to playing our part in making Gŵyl Dyfi Festival 2028 a great success.”

The inaugural UK Town of Culture competition, run by the UK government, aims to recognise places where creativity thrives, local heritage is celebrated, and cultural events bring people together.

The successful town will receive £3,000,000 to deliver a programme of cultural activities that showcase their unique identity, inspire local participation, and attract visitors from across the UK and beyond.

Find out more and Comedy Festival book tickets here - https://machcomedyfest.co.uk/