Mary HamiltonTop comedians will be coming to Norwich this summer as part of the Lord Mayor's Celebrations.Mary Hamilton

Top comedians will be coming to Norwich this summer as part of the Lord Mayor's Celebrations.

The outdoor show at the Whiffler Theatre in the Castle Gardens will kick off this year's four-day community festival on July 8 with three top-class comedy acts.

The show will be compered by MC Mickey Hutton, who has a string of TV, stage and radio appearances to his name, including hosting his own Sky TV chat show and popular children's show Hangar 17.

Stand-up comedian Addy van der Borgh, who has appeared on BBC and Sky stand-up shows, will be performing with an array of voices, characters and inanimate objects.

Also on stage will be the Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue, a duo who combine acoustic guitar and stylophone music with wordplay and prop comedy.

Liz Wimms, event co-ordinator for the city council which is organising the celebrations, said: 'This is a great opportunity to see top drawer comedians in an unusual setting and the show is always a sell-out, so our advice is to book early.'

The event marks the start of a packed programme of events for the four-day Lord Mayor's Celebrations, culminating in a procession through the city from 5pm on July 10.

The parade is immediately preceded by a 5km race, where athletes from all over the east of England compete to run two laps of the city streets which are closed to traffic for the occasion.

Local bands will be showcasing their music in Chapelfield Gardens during the day, and in the evening there will be a fireworks display outside the Castle.

Fireworks, animation, live music of all sorts, art, street performers and family events will all also be taking place over the weekend.

The Whiffler comedy club is on July 8 from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets cost �7.50 or �6 with a Go 4 Less card. For more information or to book tickets visit the Tourist Information Centre at the Forum or call 01603 213999.

The celebrations run from July 8 to July 11. For more information visit www.norwich.gov.uk and search for 'lord mayor's celebrations'.