ONE of Exeter’s longest established venues is playing a major part in this year’s Exeter Summer Festival.

The Corn Exchange is staging eight summer festival events, more than any other venue, and early booking has been brisk.

The first event is an Exeter Comedy Club festival special on Friday, June 25. This features three top stand-up acts from the national circuit: Charlie Baker, Seann Walsh and Sean Percival and Vaudeville performer Ian Marchant.

On Sunday, June 27 the Corn Exchange hosts poet, comedian and singer John Hegley with his show The Adventures of Monsieur Robinet.

A jazz legend visits the venue the following evening when Kenny Ball and his Jazz Men join the Jive Aces for Jazz Meet Jive on Monday, June 28.

This is followed by Expression Cubana, a 10-piece authentic and irresistibly danceable Cuban band with a repertoire of Cuban Salsa, Cha-Cha-Cha and Afro-Cuban Jazz on Wednesday, June 30.

Fans of 60s music are in for a treat on Saturday, July 3 when The Animals & Friends with very special guest Spencer Davis perform together.

This is a rare chance to see two of the artists that brought British RnB to the rest of the world through hits such as House of the Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out of this Place, Gimme Some Lovin and Keep on Runnin’.

On Sunday, July 4 comedian, writer, broadcaster and all-round British institution Arthur Smith appears in an evening of laughter and off the wall humour – Arthur Smith at Large.

A second festival Comedy Club takes place on Friday, July 9 when John Robins, Cole Porter and Ali Cook are joined by headliner Lucy Porter who has become a huge hit with comedy audiences up and down the country – selling out three nationwide UK tours.

The final Summer Festival event at the Corn Exchange is Exeter Jazz Club featuring stalwarts of the British jazz scene the James Taylor Quartet in cabaret on Saturday, July 10.

Exeter Corn Exchange was previously called St George’s Hall and opened to the public as an events venue, and a Corn Exchange, in 1960.

The city council run venue was refurbished in 2007 and renamed Exeter Corn Exchange and since that time it has gone from strength to strength, hosting more events than ever before and staging a much more varied programme of music, comedy and dance, establishing itself as a very important part of Exeter’s arts and entertainment scene.

Tickets for all events are available from the venue, telephone 01392-665866 or on-line at www.exeter.gov.uk/summerfestival