Edinburgh's Hogmanay comedy line-up featuring Emmanuel Sonubi, Susie McCabe and Fred MacAulay revealed

Edinburgh line-up will have you laughing into the New Year

Get ready to giggle your way into the new year as organisers of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay announce an all-star line-up for its Ho Ho Hogmanay comedy show on Friday 29 December.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, presented by UniqueAssembly on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council, will run from Friday, December 29, 2023 until Monday, January 1, 2024. Ho Ho Hogmanay marks a welcome return for Hogmanay celebrations at the Assembly Rooms at George Street and will close the first day of the four-day festival for the New Year.

The line-up for the evening will be hosted by Live at the Apollo’s Emmanuel Sonubi, and will feature Edinburgh’s Hogmanay alumnus and Scottish comedy royalty Susie McCabe alongside her compatriots, award-winning Larry Dean, and the reputable and inimitable Fred MacAulay.

Emmanuel Sonubi and Susie McCabe, who will appear at Ho Ho Hogmanay in Edinburgh.

Emmanuel Sonubi is the epitome of the phrase 'star of the future'. This year he was nominated for Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards after being nominated for Best Newcomer the previous year. He recently hosted Live at the Apollo and appeared on Have I Got News For You. In the near future he will appear in an episode of QI and Celebrity Pointless, Rosie Jones’ new show Out of Order and lastly Rhod Gilbert’s Growing Pains. Working with the likes of Jason Manford, Jack Whitehall, Romesh Ranganathan and John Bishop, and with over 10 million views online, Emmanuel is quickly becoming a household name.

Emmanuel is looking forward to the event, he said: “Edinburgh is one of my favourite places to perform. It’s where I was nominated for Best Newcomer and then Best Show from the lovely people at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. So it’s an absolute pleasure to be invited to perform at the iconic Assembly Rooms where I have seen some of the best comedians of my lifetime perform. I can’t wait!”

Susie McCabe’s rise through the ranks of stand-up has been nothing short of meteoric. Her storytelling, acute observations and killer punchlines have made her one of the most sought-after performers in the UK. She has supported the likes of Kevin Bridges, Frankie Boyle, Ardal O’Hanlon, John Bishop and Jason Manford on their national tours. A firm festival favourite, Susie has enjoyed five sell-out shows at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and continues to be the fastest-selling artist at the festival, selling out two nights at the Glasgow King’s Theatre as well as venues up and down Scotland.

In addition to her set at Ho Ho Hogmanay, Susie McCabe will repeat her MC duties from Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2022/23 with an appearance at the Concert in the Gardens on December 31, 2023.

A hot ticket on the touring circuit, Larry Dean has performed his shows across the UK and Ireland to jam-packed rooms. Larry’s fanbase is international, as a regular at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Christchurch Buskers Festival, Perth Fringeworld and the invitation-only Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.

Having presented the very funny and eventful MacAulay and Co on BBC Radio Scotland for almost 18 years and with a string of television appearances, Fred MacAulay’s on-air witticisms and on-screen reputation are the product of years of experience on the live circuit, including a stint as the first ever-Scottish compere at the Comedy Store in London.

Ho Ho Hogmanay will close the first day of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay four-day programme to bring in the New Year. Earlier on December 29, an anticipated 20,000 people will shine a light on homelessness at Edinburgh's Hogmanay Torchlight Procession with official charity partner Social Bite, blazing a trail through the capital’s Old Town.

Celebrations continue with Night Afore Revels and the Night Afore Disco Party on December 30. On Hogmanay night itself New Year Revels makes a welcome return to Assembly Rooms with an all-night ceilidh and live band party with Massaoke, while Princes Street and Princes Street Gardens will host 50,000 party goers at the world-famous Street Party and Concert in the Gardens with Pulp and special guests Hot Chip (DJ set). The four-day programme comes to a close on Monday, January 1, 2024 with the family-friendly Sprogmanay and family ceilidh, and First Footin’ Culture Trail in selected venues around the city.

Tickets for Ho Ho Hogmanay and all of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay events, in this it’s 30th anniversary year, are available now.