In lieu of Best Bets this week, I thought I'd write about the largest comedy festival in the South -- and arguably the largest in the country. The N.C. Comedy Arts Festival begins today and runs through the end of the month. 

Each week is dedicated to a different discipline: sketch comedy, stand-up, improvisation and film. More than 700 people will participate in more than 60 shows. And somewhere close to 5,000 people, over the course of the month, will be in the audience. Zach Ward, the founder of the festival and DSI Comedy Theater in Carrboro, says that two years ago, the festival generated more than $150,000 for the local economy.

Festival goers can take an active role by signing up for a workshop or lay low and simple take it all in. And the majority of it has an admission price of $10. Ward says he designed the festival to be accessible, so that comedy lovers wouldn't have to pick and choose which events they could attend. Seven venues will be used: DSI, the ArtsCenter, the Varsity Theater, Local 506, Mansion 462, UNC and Cat's Cradle. 

Highlights of this year's festival include a show by Eddie Brill on Feb. 13 at Cat's Cradle. Brill is the house comic for The Late Show with David Letterman (and has been for 12 years). And on Feb. 20 at Cat's Cradle, Death by Roo Roo, an improv group that performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City and has been featured on MTV and Adult Swim, will perform. 

And for those who like a more educational approach to comedy, Laughology, a film that explores the science behind laughter, is shown at the Varsity on Feb. 27.

To get you warmed up, here's a YouTube clip of Eddie Brill: