Ivinghoe Entertainments is marking the start of its third decade by revamping its popular festival weekend.
This year the Ivinghoe and Pitstone-based organization moves its popular Ball on the Lawn to a Saturday night (June 21), to give guests more time to prepare and fully savour the smart dress-up occasion. And it has booked a big headlining band, The Collection.
The formal, black-tie ball has been a firm fixture, held in a marquee on the scenic Ivinghoe Lawn in front of the village church, since the early 1990s. This year the Friday night spot (June 20) will be given over to the Comedy Night, “Laughter on the Lawn”. Tickets are still available for both events.
“It will be a new night, new band, new caterers and hopefully new friends for the Ball”, said Ivinghoe Entertainments chairman Graham Hollands. “We want to make the 2014 Summer Festival the strongest yet. If you haven’t been before, this is the year to come.”
This year, for the first time, the committee has opted for a major headlining band. The Collection, fronted by Keavy Lynch from B*witched, has enjoyed success in Europe and North America. They released two albums and eight singles, all of which made the UK Top 20. “C’est la Vie”, “Rollercoaster”, “To You I Belong” and “Blame It on the Weatherman” all reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. B*witched enjoyed recent success on the “Reunion” TV programme and tour.
The committee has booked a new caterer, too, offering a choice of three starters and four main courses. “We’ve managed to peg the price at £60 a ticket, which represents very good value for a ball in this area,” said Mr Hollands. “After you have bought your ticket, the only expenses are photographs, and drinks.”
The second part of the summer festival, traditionally on Saturday, now becomes the first part, on the Friday night. The festival follows up the success of Laughter on the Lawn 2013 with a different line up of comedians. Tickets cost £15.
The event, associated with the Get Stuffed Tring Comedy Festival (Tringe), will be compered by Kevin Day. The lineup will be headlined by Mick Ferry, and feature John Maloney and Tammy Stone.
Kevin Day, stand-up comedian, comedy writer and sports presenter has hosted the comedy discussion programme Loose Talk on BBC Radio 1. He is a programme associate for Have I Got News for You. Since 2004 he has been a regular on Match of the Day 2.
Mick Ferry is described as “a master of the dark arts…no subject too solemn, no insight too mournful, no theory too surreal.” He was a finalist in Channel 4’s So You Think You’re Funny competition. Mick has performed with Johnny Vegas, Peter Kay, Al Murray and Steve Coogan. He is a regular at The Comedy Store in London and Manchester, and recently starred in BBC`s Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. He made his cinema debut in 2009 in Ken Loach’s Looking For Eric.
John Moloney has headlined at top clubs such as the Comedy Store. He twice won Best Live Performer at the London Comedy Festival, and has been nominated as Best Live Stand Up at The British Comedy Awards. He is best known for his performances on BBC’s The Stand Up Show and the most recent series of Grumpy Old Men. He was included in Channel 4’s One Hundred Greatest Stand Ups in 2006.
Tammy Stone has contributed to ‘QI’ and ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’. Recently she brought her “skewed, sometimes risqué but undeniably funny” act to the Edinburgh Festival with a “teatime feast of standup, comedic songs and quirky humour.”
* Tickets
For tickets for both events, see http://ivinghoeentertainments.org.uk or contact Penny 01296 668017 (enquiries@ivinghoeentertainments.org.uk)