Austin’s live venues to host inaugural Moontower Comedy Festival in April

Austin hosts plenty of festivals that keep the city weird with live music, films and comedy. SXSW is the biggest and most well-known. There’s also the Fun Fun Fun Fest. But comedy always is the sideshow to the music.

Comedy earns its own place in the sun this April as the Austin Theatre Alliance will put on the inaugural Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival, with live shows (and comedy film screenings) from April 25-28, 2012.

“We are so thrilled to be able to bring a world-class comedy festival to Austin, a city that has a premium on funny and odd,” says Executive Director Jim Ritts.

The initial list of confirmed artists includes headliners Seth Meyers, Aziz Ansari and Steven Wright, plus The Amazing Johnathan, Maria Bamford, Baron Vaughn, Bob Biggerstaff, Brendon Walsh, Brent Weinbach, Brody Stevens, Chase Durousseau, Chris Trew, Duncan Trussell, Erin Foley, Erin Jackson, Hannibal Buress, Jackie Kashian, Joe Mande, Mike MacRae, Paul Varghese, Rachel Feinstein, Sean Patton, Matt Bearden and John Ramsey.

By the way, that’s the same Duncan Trussell who slammed SXSW’s comedy booking in a series of YouTube videos earlier this month (See: Hitler gets invited to South by Southwest). Looks like he’ll be going to Austin this spring, after all.

And in the festival announcement, Aziz Ansari added: “I’m so excited to come back to Austin. I can’t wait to eat at Torchy’s Tacos, Uchiko, and hopefully finally try Franklin BBQ. Oh, I’m also doing standup I think,” says Aziz Ansari.

The festival is presented by the Paramount Theatre in partnership with Cap City Comedy Club and will play out over more than 10 venues in Austin. Sponsors include The Onion, Funny or Die and Hell Yes.

The full list of shows will include stand-up, improv, sketch and musical comedy, as well as the film screenings.

Four-day badges and VIP access will go on sale Feb. 1, with prices of $99 and $799, respectively. Individual show tickets will go on sale later in February. For more information, visit moontowercomedyfestival.com.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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