Last year, it seemed as if there were a comedy festival somewhere in the world every weekend, if not more than one. How does 2017 stack up compared to 2016?
Here’s what we know and what’s happened so far already…
JANUARY
- SF SKETCHFEST: Audible presents The San Francisco Comedy Festival, Jan. 12-29, 2017. San Francisco. CALIFORNIA.
- The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival: 16th annual, Jan. 5-15, 2017. Chicago. ILLINOIS.
- Charleston Comedy Festival: Jan. 18-21, 2017. Charleston. SOUTH CAROLINA.
- RIOT LA: L.A.’s Alternative Comedy Festival, Jan. 19-22, 2017. Los Angeles. CALIFORNIA.
- Orlando Indie Comedy Fest: Jan. 19-22, 2017. Orlando. FLORIDA.
- San Diego Comedy Festival: Fourth annual, Jan. 22-29, 2017. San Diego. CALIFORNIA.
FEBRUARY
- Cracking Up The Capital: Feb. 7-18, 2017. Ottawa. ONTARIO. CANADA.
- Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival: Feb. 7-25, 2017. Leicester. ENGLAND.
- #NCCAF: NC Comedy Arts Festival, Feb. 15-26, 2017. Carrboro. NORTH CAROLINA.
- Telluride Comedy Festival: President’s Day Weekend each February since 1999, Feb. 16-19, 2017. Telluride. COLORADO.
- JFL NorthWest: Just For Laughs heads to Canada’s West Coast, Feb. 16-25, 2016. Vancouver. BRITISH COLUMBIA. CANADA.
- Adelaide Fringe: Feb. 17 through March 19, 2017. Adelaide. AUSTRALIA.
- The Aspen Laff Festival: The Wheeler Opera House’s continuation of hosting comedy in the wake of HBO pulling out after 2007. Feb. 21-25, 2017. Aspen. COLORADO.
- Brisbane Comedy Festival: Feb. 26 through March 28, 2017. Brisbane. AUSTRALIA.
MARCH
- Toronto SketchFest: The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, March 1-12, 2017. Toronto. ONTARIO. CANADA.
- Kitchener-Waterloo Comedy Festival: March 2-4, 2017. Kitchener-Waterloo, ONTARIO. CANADA.
- The SLO Comedy Festival: March 2-5, 2017. San Luis Obispo. CALIFORNIA.
- Gilda’s LaughFest: Launched in 2011 by Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids, featuring stand-up, improv, film, authors, community showcases, March 9-19, 2017. Grand Rapids, MICHIGAN.
- Glasgow International Comedy Festival: March 9-26. Glasgow. SCOTLAND.
- Memphis Comedy Festival: Founded in 2011. March 9-12, 2017. Memphis. TENNESSEE.
- SXSW: Interactive, Film and Music festivals, with comedy panels, screenings and live shows every day and night, March 10-18, 2017. Austin. TEXAS.
- Magners International Comedy Festival: Welcome back to the biggest comedy festival in Asia! In 2017 we are going to be in Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. March 16-26. SINGAPORE, THE PHILIPPINES, VIETNAM, THAILAND, MALAYSIA.
- The Paley Center for Media’s PaleyFest, March 17-26, 2017. Beverly Hills. CALIFORNIA.
- Dallas Comedy Festival: Eighth annual. March 22-25, 2017. Dallas. TEXAS.
- NYC Improv Festival: At The PIT, March 22-26, 2017. New York. NEW YORK.
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival: Now 31 years. Founded by Barry Humphries and Peter Cook. March 29 through April 23, 2017. Melbourne. AUSTRALIA.
- High Mud Comedy Fest: March 31-April 1, 2017. North Adams. MASSACHUSETTS.
- West Virginia Comedy Festival: Debuted in 2015. March 31-April 1, 2017. Bridgeport. WEST VIRGINIA.
- Burning Bridges Festival: March 31-April 1, 2017. Pittsburgh. PENNSYLVANIA.
APRIL
- Houston Whatever Fest: April 1-2, 2017. Houston. TEXAS.
- JASHFESHT Comedy & Music Festival: Dates TBA. Palm Springs. CALIFORNIA. Led by JASH YouTube Channel partners Michael Cera, Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts and Tim & Eric.
- Winnipeg Comedy Festival: April 3-9, 2017. Winnipeg. MANITOBA. CANADA.
- South Beach Comedy Festival: TBD? Miami. FLORIDA.
- Bird City Comedy Festival: April 6-19, 2017. Phoenix. ARIZONA. Submissions open.
- NYC PodFest: Since 2013. April 7-9, 2017. The Bell House, Brooklyn. New York. NEW YORK.
- Paname Comedy Festival: April 7-13, 2017. Paris. FRANCE.
- Southwest FunnyFest: April 15, 2017. Albuquerque. NEW MEXICO.
- Wild West Comedy Festival: April 17-23, 2017. Nashville. TENNESSEE.
- Nashville StandUp’s Broken Record Comedy Show: Beginning on Sunday, April 16th, 2017 at 5am, Nashville StandUp will attempt to top the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for “LONGEST VARIETY SHOW” at Third Coast Comedy Club in Nashville, TN as part of the Wild West Comedy Festival. April 16-23, 2017. Nashville. TENNESSEE.
- Moontower Comedy Festival: Sixth annual celebration with A-list national headliners and local showcases within downtown Austin. April 19-22, 2017. Austin. TEXAS.
- Women in Comedy Festival, April 19-23, 2017 Boston/Cambridge/Somerville. MASSACHUSETTS.
- The Highlarious Comedy Festival: April 20-22. Seattle. WASHINGTON.
- Philly Sketchfest: April 20-23, 2017. Philadelphia. PENNSYLVANIA.
- Perth Comedy Festival: April 26 through May 21, 2017. Perth. AUSTRALIA.
- Halifax Comedy Festival: April 27-30, 2017. Halifax. NOVA SCOTIA. CANADA.
- NZ International Comedy Festival: April 27-May 21, 2017. Auckland and Wellington. NEW ZEALAND.
MAY
- Funniest Person in Austin Contest: Now in its 32st year, Cap City Comedy Club hosts multiple-week stand-up competition, begins April 2, finals May 15, 2017. Austin. TEXAS.
- Laughing Skull Comedy Festival: Celebrating its 8th year as a national stand-up contest, May 1-8, 2017. Atlanta. GEORGIA.
- Charm City Comedy Festival, May 3-7, May 10-14, 2017. Baltimore. MARYLAND. Since 2014.
- Bridgetown Comedy Festival: Since 2008. May 4-7, 2017. Portland. OREGON.
- SheDot: Toronto’s Festival of Funny Women. May 4-7, 2017. Toronto. ONTARIO. CANADA.
- Laughter Comedy Fest: The Los Angeles Comedy Festival, May 4-13, 2017. Los Angeles. CALFORNIA.
- Cape Fear Comedy Festival. May 17-20, 2017. Wilmington. NORTH CAROLINA.
- Crapshoot Comedy Festival: Debuting 2017. May 18-20, 2017. Las Vegas. NEVADA.
- Crom Comedy Festival: May 19-20, 2017. Denver. COLORADO.
- Birmingham Comedy Festival: May 19-22. Birmingham. ALABAMA.
- Vulture Festival: TBD. New partners for 2016 included Caroline’s on Broadway and the Earwolf podcast network. New York. NEW YORK.
- Tomatoes! Tomatoes! Stand-up from May 24-27, 2017. Hämeenlinna. FINLAND.
- Sasquatch!: Memorial Day Weekend music and comedy festival. Separate comedy tent at music festival. May 26-28, 2017. At the Gorge in George. WASHINGTON.
- NY Funny Songs Fest: TBD. New York. NEW YORK.
- Boston Calling: Adding comedy for 2017! May 26-28, 2017. Harvard Athletic Complex, Boston. MASSACHUSETTS.
- truTV, The Onion & The A.V. Club and Clickhole Present The 3rd Annual 26th Annual Comedy Festival: May 31-June 4, 2017. Chicago. ILLINOIS.
SUMMER TBA
Cabo Comedy Festival: May or June 2017. Shows in English and Spanish, plus a competition, panels and awards. Cabo San Lucas. BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR. MEXICO.
QueerCom is Pride Weekend’s Unofficial LGBTQ Comedy Festival. 3 days of improv, stand-up, sketch, drag, storytelling, solo shows, musical acts, screenings, panels, full-length musicals, and anything else funny you can think of. QueerCom is built to highlight New York City’s funniest LGBTQ comics in every medium.
JUNE
Comedy Central presents Colossal Clusterfest: June 2-4, 2017. San Francisco. CALIFORNIA. Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, Ice Cube, Chromeo, Tegan and Sara, Chris Hardwick, Hannibal Buress, Broad City, Bob Odenkirk, Lil Dicky, Fred Armisen, Princess, Vince Staples, Anthony Jeselnik, Reggie Watts, Tig Notaro, Pete Davidson, Natasha Leggero, Moshe Kasher, 2 Dope Queens, Dan Soder, Big Jay Oakerson, Preservation Jazz Hall Band, and many more. Go here for the full lineup!
- Limestone Comedy Festival: June 1-3, 2017. Bloomington. INDIANA.
- Big Fire Comedy Festival: June 2-4, 2017. Helendale. CALIFORNIA.
- FunnyFest Calgary Comedy Festival: 16th annual celebration, June 1-11. Calgary. ALBERTA. CANADA.
- The Sky Cat Laughs Comedy Festival Kilkenny: June 1-5. Kilkenny. IRELAND.
- Bonnaroo, June 8-11. Separate comedy tent at music festival. Manchester. TENNESSEE.
- MaxFunCon: June 9-11, 2017. Lake Arrowhead. CALIFORNIA.
- Southwest LaughFest: Comedy competition “Southwest Funniest” and more. El Paso. TEXAS.
- The Chicago Women’s Funny Festival: Now in year six. June 15-18, 2017. Chicago. ILLINOIS.
- Great American Comedy Festival: Celebrating comedy in the hometown of Johnny Carson, June 14-17. Norfolk. NEBRASKA. With Martin Short, Robert Klein, Larry Miller, Wendy Liebman and more.
- Snubfest: June 20-25, 2017. Featuring comedians rejected by other comedy festivals. Chicago. ILLINOIS.
- Skankfest NYC: Legion of Skanks Presents The Anti Comedy Festival. June 23-25, 2017. Long Island City. NEW YORK.
- Del Close Marathon (DCM): Submission accepted until March 7, 2017. Improv comedy marathon hosted by the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) founders and featuring groups from around the world, around the clock in multiple NYC venues. Now in its 19th year. June 23-25, 2017. New York. NEW YORK.
JULY
- Just For Laughs: The biggest comedy festival. Now in its 35th year. First half is dominated by Francophone acts. Final week features ComedyPro conference, panels, speakers, podcasts and all of the English-speaking acts. July 12-31, 2017. Montreal. QUEBEC. CANADA.
- Joshua Tree Improv Comedy Festival: Debuting in 2017! Improv groups, sketch groups and stand up comics are invited to submit an entry for the Joshua Tree International Improv/Comedy Festival. All entries are welcome and can be accessed at https://www.jtimprovfestival.
org, where you will also find additional submission information. Entries will be judged by a selection committee, and the committee’s official selections will perform at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center, 61231 Highway 62 in Joshua Tree, on July 8-9, 2017, as part of the festival. These performances will then be judged by a live audience to determine an overall winner. The overall festival winner will be offered a paid return engagement at the theatre. Other events being planned for the festival include an opening gala, comedy and improvisation workshops, and many live performances and appearances from revered household names and up-and-coming stars.
- Nantucket Comedy Festival: July 12-15, 2017. Nantucket Island. MASSACHUSETTS.
- Queer Relief Comedy Festival: July 13-16, 2017. Debuting in 2017. Portland. OREGON.
- Pemberton Music Festival: July 13-16, 2017. Music festival with comedy tent. Pemberton. BRITISH COLUMBIA. CANADA.
- Vodafone Comedy Festival: Dublin. IRELAND.
- Ladies of Laughter: Dates TBD. NEW YORK
- Berlin International Comedy Festival: Dates TBD. Berlin. GERMANY.
- The Comedy Exposition: Dates TBD. Stand-up. Held the second weekend of July. Chicago. ILLINOIS.
- Philly’s Phunniest: Annual stand-up competition hosted by Helium in Philadelphia, dates TBD. Philadelphia. PENNSYLVANIA.
- Magners Greenwich Comedy Festival: Dates TBD. Greenwich. ENGLAND.
AUGUST
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe: 70th Anniversary in 2017! Aug. 2-29, 2017. Edinburgh. SCOTLAND.
- Lucille Ball Comedy Festival: Aug. 3-7, 2017. Jamestown. NEW YORK.
- Let’s Fest 2017: Aug. 3-6. Fort Wayne. INDIANA.
- Milwaukee Comedy Festival: Aug. 2-6, 2017. Milwaukee. WISCONSIN.
- Outside Lands: Comedy in The Barbary, Aug. 11-13, 2017. San Francisco. CALIFORNIA.
- Laugh Your Asheville Off: Aug. 9-12, 2017. Celebrating its 11th year. Asheville. NORTH CAROLINA.
- Desi Comedy Fest: Aug. 10-20. Largest South Asian comedy festival in America. San Francisco and the Bay Area. CALIFORNIA.
- Lehigh Valley with Love ComedyFest: Aug. 11. Bethlehem. PENNSYLVANIA. Submissions here.
- Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival: Chicago. ILLINOIS.
- Burbank Comedy Festival: Aug. 13-19. Burbank. CALIFORNIA.
- Maine Comedy Festival: Bethel. MAINE.
- High Plains Comedy Festival: Denver. COLORADO.
- Arch City Comedy Festival: TAKING 2017 OFF, RETURNING IN 2018? Columbus. OHIO.
- Cincy Brew Ha-Ha: Aug. 24-27. Cincinnati. OHIO.
- Oddblock Comedy Fest: Aug. 24-27. Winnipeg. MANITOBA. CANADA.
- Accidental Comedy Fest: Cleveland. OHIO.
- Brooklyn Comedy Festival: Aug. 21-27. Brooklyn. NEW YORK.
- Pittsburgh Comedy Festival: Pittsburgh. PENNSYLVANIA.
- Out of Bounds Comedy Festival: Over Labor Day Weekend. Austin. TEXAS.
- Busan International Comedy Festival: Aug. 26 to Sept. 3. Busan. SOUTH KOREA.
- Chicago Musical Improv Festival: Chicago. ILLINOIS.
- Maine Comedy Festival: Bethel. MAINE.
SEPTEMBER
- Bumbershoot: Labor Day Weekend arts and music festival at Seattle Center, with comedy events, too, Sept. 1-3, 2017. Seattle. WASHINGTON.
- FCC Free Radio: First annual comedy festival, Sept. 9-10. San Francisco. CALIFORNIA. submissions@fccfreeradio.com
- Just For Laughs Sydney: Sept. 11-17. JFL goes Down Under. Sydney. AUSTRALIA.
- Boston Comedy Arts Festival: Boston/Cambridge. MASSACHUSETTS.
- Blue Whale Comedy Festival: Tulsa. OKLAHOMA.
- San Francisco Comedy Competition: Now in its 42st year. Two weeks of preliminary action, followed by a week of semifinals, week of finals, across Northern California. CALIFORNIA.
- Norfolk Comedy Festival: Norfolk. VIRGINIA.
- Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival: Dates TBD. Brooklyn. NEW YORK.
- Cinder Block Comedy Festival: Sept. 7-10. Brooklyn. NEW YORK.
- The World Series of Comedy: Sept. 25-30. Las Vegas. NEVADA.
- Big Pine Comedy Festival: Sept. 14-16. Flagstaff. ARIZONA.
- JFL42: Sept. 21-30. With 42 big-name comedy shows over 10 nights. Toronto. ONTARIO. CANADA.
- Woodstock Comedy Festival: Woodstock. NEW YORK.
- Harlem Comedy Festival: Harlem. NEW YORK.
- Hoboken Comedy Festival: Hoboken. NEW JERSEY.
- The YYComedy Festival: Calgary. ALBERTA. CANADA.
- Red Clay Comedy Festival: Atlanta. GEORGIA.
- New York Arab-American Comedy Festival: New York. NEW YORK.
- Beast Village Comedy Festival: Des Moines. IOWA.
- Altercation Comedy Festival: Austin. TEXAS.
- Palm Springs Comedy Fest: Debuting in 2017! Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2017. Palm Springs. CALIFORNIA.
FALL TBA
NYCSKETCHFEST: The comedy community in New York City has grown from humble beginnings to one of the premiere cities for improvisation and sketch comedy. With several longform-improv theaters boasting some of the best improvisers and sketch performers in the country, our local comedy community offers a uniquely diverse and exciting comedy scene featuring a wide variety of comedic styles and philosophies. To showcase this, The New York City Sketch Festival was created not only to celebrate the diversity of talent but also to foster links between writers and performers in New York City with artists from all over the world, as well as with members of the entertainment industry at large. Coming Fall, 2017!
SOLOCOM: The PIT, along with award-winning solo show artist Peter Michael Marino (Desperately Seeking the Exit) presents SOLOCOM, NYC’s Only All-New Solo Comedy Festival. For four days in November, the PIT’s stages are taken over by all-new world premiere solo comedies by artists from across the country, Canada and England. SOLOCOM 2016 featured everything from autobiographical performance to sketch, storytelling, stand-up, music, dance, drag, puppetry, autobiographical puppetry, autobiographical discography, magic, multi-media, critically acclaimed Edinburgh Festival artists, fake talk shows, fake podcasts, cooking, improv, cabaret, pole dancing, a Bob Ross led painting session, clowning, beautifully obsessive Star Trek fandom, and the fearless acting of a cardboard box. Coming Fall, 2017!
OCTOBER
- Edmonton Comedy Festival: Edmonton. ALBERTA. CANADA.
- LA PodFest: Oct. 6-8, 2017. The L.A. podcast festival. Los Angeles. CALIFORNIA.
- Sonoma Laughfest: Oct. 6-8. Sonoma. CALIFORNIA.
- Sacramento Comedy Festival: Oct. 6-8. Sacramento. CALIFORNIA.
- Rogue Island Comedy Festival: Launched in 2015. Columbus Day Weekend. Newport. RHODE ISLAND.
- Hell Yes Fest! New Orleans. LOUISIANA.
- Crossroads Comedy Festival: Indianapolis. INDIANA.
- Ventura Comedy Festival: Oct. 9-15, 2017. Ventura. CALIFORNIA.
- Big Sky Comedy Festival: Stand-up competition hosted by Lukas Seely and Auggie Smith and judged by industry from Los Angeles and New York City. Billings. MONTANA. Submissions open June.
- Atlantic City Comedy Festival: Atlantic City. NEW JERSEY.
- Festival Supreme: Full day of musical comedy, hosted by Tenacious D. Los Angeles. CALIFORNIA.
- All Jane Comedy Festival: Portland. OREGON.
- Madison Comedy Festival: Madison. WISCONSIN.
- The 10,000 Laughs Comedy Festival: Minneapolis. MINNESOTA.
- Bentzen Ball: Oct. 26-29, 2017. Curated by Tig Notaro. Washington. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
- Trill Comedy Festival: Houston. TEXAS.
- She-Devil Comedy Festival: Stand-up contest for women only. New York. NEW YORK.
- Cologne Comedy Festival: Oct. 12-28. Cologne. GERMANY.
NOVEMBER
- Impractical Jokers Cruise: New Orleans to Costa Maya, Nov. 1-5, 2017. New Orleans. LOUISIANA.
- New York Comedy Festival: Nov. 7-12, 2017. National headliners and showcases and panels across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. NEW YORK. Partners with TBS.
- Fun Fun Fun Fest: Music, with comedy. First weekend of November. Austin. TEXAS.
- Scruffy City Comedy Festival: Knoxville. TENNESSEE.
- Seattle International Comedy Competition: Now in its 38th year. Two weeks of preliminary stand-up contests, week of semifinals, week of finals, throughout Western Washington. Seattle. WASHINGTON.
- Boston Comedy Festival: National headliners, plus a stand-up contest. Boston/Cambridge/Somerville. MASSACHUSETTS.
- Cleveland Comedy Festival: Cleveland. OHIO.
- New South Comedy Festival: Greenville. SOUTH CAROLINA.
DECEMBER
- Montreaux Comedy: Dec. 1-5, 2017. Montreaux. SWITZERLAND.
- 1001 Laughs Dearborn Comedy Festival: Dearborn. MICHIGAN.
- LaughingStock: The Chicago Comedy Music Festival. Chicago. ILLINOIS.
- Altitude Comedy Festival: Now at Christmastime. Mayrhofen. AUSTRIA.
Let’s get Sonoma Laughfest, October 6-8 on this list! SonomaLaughfest.com
DONE. Thanks!
Birmingham Comedy Festival (UK) dates are confirmed for Friday 6 to Sunday 15 October 2017. One of the UK’s longest running comedy festivals (established 2001). Details via: http://www.bhamcomfest.co.uk
Sareth-Fest Music and Comedy Festival takes place in Pueblo, Colorado. The dates are from August 10th to August 13th.
For more information visit: http://www.aqdpi.com/history
The World Series of Comedy is September 11-16 in Las Vegas
Big Pine Comedy Festival 2018: September 19-22nd (4th year)