It's festival season in Edmonton; another summer where Edmontonians are treated to some world-class performances and the Grindstone Comedy Festival is prepared to entertain until you're crying from laughter. The Grindstone Comedy Festival returns to Edmonton for its highly anticipated fifth year from July 3 to July 7. The festival boasts five days of laugh-inducing performances including stand-up, sketch comedy and improv with a diverse lineup from local talents to worldwide acts. More than 50 artists are scheduled to perform at the Grindstone Comedy Theatre & Bistro (located at 10019 81 Ave.) which features both indoor and outdoor stages, a beer garden to wet your whistle, food trucks galore and workshops. Edmonton-born Bruce McCulloch, known for his talents on the iconic sketch troupe Kids in the Hall, is both headlining the event and an organizer for the festival. Other notable acts include Debra DiGiovanni of Much Music's Video On Trial, Dave Merheje who won a Juno award for Comedy Album of the year in 2019 and Bonnie McFarlane from Cold Lake, Alta., who was declared as the funniest female comedian by the Huffington Post. As for improv, the comedy festival will see Grindstone's very own 11 O'Clock Number perform full-length musicals on the spot with special guests Chris Wilson from This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Calgary's own Clare McConnell of Murdoch Mysteries. On Sunday, July 7, the festival will hold a fundraiser event in support of fellow comedian Kathleen McGee who is currently battling colon cancer. McGee, a co-founder of the festival, has shared her talents on various productions including Just for Laughs, CBC Debaters and SiriusXM Top Comic and hosts her own podcast Kathleen McGee is a Hot Mess. All proceeds for the fundraiser will go toward fulfilling McGee's bucket list wishes and to provide her comfort through her battle with cancer. Tickets for the Grindstone Comedy Festival can be purchased in-house or online.
