Parker’s Piece has been taken by storm this week, with the first Cambridge Comedy Garden transforming the green into a pub garden-come-circus and offering up an array of comedians for us to enjoy, from Josh Widdicombe to Harry Hill, John Kearns, and Sara Pascoe.

A trip back to Cambridge from my hometown in East Anglia felt like it had the potential to be a walking nightmare. Did I fancy reliving the exam hell I had escaped last term, or revisiting the grotty student kitchen I’d left behind? Funnily enough, I didn’t particularly. But in spite of that, I took myself back to Cambridge in the hopes of a slightly more optimistic affair. And goodness me, that’s exactly what I got.

“The atmosphere combined a sunny evening in a pub garden with the vibrancy of a May Ball”

Cambridge Comedy Garden is a festival-type setup, with a corner of Parker’s Piece cordoned off by an array of food stalls, more portaloos than I could count, and a massive big top tent. The atmosphere combined a sunny evening in a pub garden with the vibrancy of a May Ball.

A bar, spanning one whole length of the Garden, serves up piña coladas, canned wine and plenty of beer options, and the centre of the green is covered with picnic tables galore. I was very glad to have arrived early to soak up the atmosphere before the comedy began. An unending queue for Greek cuisine had a stab at dampening my spirit, but thankfully I was rescued by the Azahar food truck, dishing up absolutely delectable Spanish street food that made me really quite glad I’d given up on waiting for a generic gyros.

The doors to the Garden open an hour or so before the show begins, allowing guests to make the most of the scenery before filing into the tent and taking their seats. That being said, if you get peckish throughout, or indeed never actually manage to get to the front of the gyros queue, there are two intervals in the show, during which food and drinks are on sale.

“The comedy was superb across the board, catering to all tastes and leaving nothing to be desired”

From an audience perspective, the intervals were almost a pity; the comedy was superb across the board, catering to all tastes and leaving nothing to be desired. The week may have started with its most dazzling line up: the big top was playing host to Josh Widdicombe, Laura Smith, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Maisie Adam, and Ivo Graham last night. That being said, it was those names I was less familiar with that offered the best gigs. Fatiha El-Ghorri and Lauren Smith, who I’ll confess to being less familiar with than the other three names, won the biggest laughs by far. Combined, they catered to tastes that Josh Widdicombe, Maisie Adam, and Ivo Graham might have otherwise slightly disappointed, broadening the show’s horizons beyond the people you’ll see on every other episode of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

The comedians are changing for each event, with a total of four gigs and one compere at each show. Ivo Graham made for an amusing compere at first but proved himself to be something of a one-trick pony by his third appearance, and I felt he was, at times, a slightly vexatious interruption between the better prepared and rehearsed acts. Of course, I don’t think I could have done any better than him. But a random audience member he picked out did win more laughs than the professional, which was a bit embarrassing really.

Nevertheless, with a rotating set list and a week of beautiful weather on the cards for Cambridge, I can’t recommend attending enough. There are still tickets left for shows later in the week, including those with some really big names headlining, so grab a pint and enjoy one of the funniest pub gardens you’ll find this summer.

Cambridge Comedy Garden is showing at Parker’s Piece until Saturday 20th July.