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Columbus Comedy Festival Returns This August With More Than 100 Performers
Columbus Navigator • June 27, 2026
The Columbus Comedy Festival is back for its third year, bringing more than 100 comedians to stages across the city from August 27 through August 30.
Prepare your abs: Columbus Comedy Festival 2026 is set for this fall
ABC6 / Fox28 • June 16, 2026
Columbus Comedy Festival will soon announce their 2026 lineup. The third annual festival will take place in Fall 2026.
Podcast: Henry Allen – “Workin’ The Room”
Whiskey Business Podcast • August 25, 2025
The Columbus Comedy Festival returns for its second year of laughs Sept 4-7, and Henry Allen will be one of the headlining acts. On this installment of Whiskey Business we talked about the festival, Henry’s comedy path from age 17 to present, the latest trend of “working the room” and a fun comedic Word Association test involving current and past comedians. A lot of laughs and a lot of insights into the craft and creation of stand-up comedy.
Columbus Comedy Festival to return for second annual event September 4-7
ABC6 • August 1, 2025
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Columbus Comedy Festival is back for its second year, bringing more than 100 comedians to the city from September 4-7.
Columbus Comedy Festival returns in September with over 100 comedians
10TV WBNS • June 7, 2025
Laughter will once again echo across Columbus this fall as more than 100 comedians descend on the city for the second annual Columbus Comedy Festival.
Organizers announced this year’s expanded lineup and schedule featuring a wide range of national headliners, regional performers and local talent.
Columbus Comedy Festival Returns in September!
Columbus Underground • June 2, 2025
The laughs return to Columbus in September when the city hosts 100+ comedians for four days of events during the second annual Columbus Comedy Festival. National headliners, regional performers and local talent will take the stage at venues including The Columbus Funny Bone, Palace Theatre, Shadowbox Live, Maroon Culture Lab, The Attic Comedy Club, MadLab, The Nest Theatre, The Hashtag Comedy Company, Don’t Tell Comedy: Columbus, Leisure Club, and more.
A Second City showcase will perform in Columbus this fall
Columbus Dispatch • May 30, 2025
Celebrating 65 years of top-tier comedy, a Second City showcase is bringing yet another year of laughter to Columbus audiences.
2024 Festival Media Coverage:
Video: Check out the Columbus Comedy Festival
WSYX ABC6 / Fox28 • Aug 16, 2024
“Get prepared to laugh until you cry. The first annual Columbus Comedy Festival is taking over the city. For the entire weekend, you can see some of the best in the game tell the best stories. Comedians Jason Banks and Zach Harley share what you can expect.”
Wine Fest, Food Truck Festival and other Columbus weekend events
Axios Columbus • Aug 16, 2024
“🤣 Reminder: The first-ever Columbus Comedy Festival is happening through Sunday, with dozens of comedians performing at venues across Central Ohio. Check out the schedule.”
Podcast: Nickey Winkelman, The Respectable Co-Worker
Whiskey Business with Dino Tripodis • Aug 12, 2024
“Ahead of the first of Columbus Comedy Festival, we enjoy a respectable visit with comedian Nickey Winkelman. The conversation went from comedy to real life and the REAL life that’s in comedy. Asking, what’s the art of finding ways to present life situations to a comedy crowd that may also be going through them but in a relatable, funny way?”
Preview: Michael Ian Black at the Columbus Comedy Festival
Columbus Underground • Aug 12, 2024
“I can’t imagine this interview will get a single person to purchase a ticket,” comedian, writer, and author Michael Ian Black interjects near the end of our phone conversation last Friday. “I’m ranting about American politics, something I don’t talk about at all in my act,” he continues. “Like, I’m not a political comedian — even a little bit.”
Black did touch somewhat emphatically on politics during our interview; however, it was just one stop along the 35-minute journey we took together to preview his headlining set during the opening night of the inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival on Wednesday.
Interview: Columbus Comedy Festival with Walker Evans
Daily Comedy News Podcast • Aug 10, 2024
“A daily roundup of the latest news in comedy, comedy tv shows, comedy movies, Netflix specials, and stand-up comedy, plus late-night show recaps from Trevor Noah’s Daily Show, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Myers & the rest.”
Columbus Comedy Festival to Debut Aug. 14
The Columbus Dispatch • Aug 9, 2024 (Online) – Aug 10, 2024 (Print)
“Spanning 11 days in May, the Netflix is a Joke Festival brought more than 400 comedy shows to 35-plus sites in Los Angeles. And though canceled this year, Montreal’s monthlong Just for Laughs is the largest international comedy festival in the world.”
“Columbus may not be L.A. or Montreal, but it is the 14th largest city in the U.S. and Walker Evans said he believes its abundance of untapped talent make it prime real estate for a multiday, multivenue comedy fest of its own.”
The Changing Comedy Landscape
WOSU Public Media • Aug 7, 2024
“From vaudeville to burlesque to stand-up specials, comedy has changed over the decades. A chosen few go on to stardom selling out arenas, headlining Netflix specials or starring in movies, many are doing gigs in venues around the country. Dozens of those comedians will be coming to Columbus next week for the inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival.”
Local Dramedy Series from Nef Johnson to Debut at Columbus Comedy Festival
Columbus Underground • Aug 6, 2024
“For Kristopher “Nef” Johnson, tragedy and comedy are all part of the same whole. His personal tragedies inform his standup, which you can catch live three times across the five-day Columbus Comedy Festival. He’ll even share a peek at his upcoming series, Not Even Funny, at the festival’s opening event, the Aristocrats screening this Friday at Gateway Film Center and again on Thursday the 15th at The Attic.”
Ohio’s own River Butcher is breaking comedy barriers one laugh at a time
The Buckeye Flame • Jul 30, 2024
“The first annual Columbus Comedy Festival will take place on August 14th to August 18th and will feature a ton of queer comics as part of the five-day, 150 comic lineup. Right there in the middle of that lineup is the hilarious River Butcher, who has spent the past few years shattering barriers for trans male comedians.”
First comedy festival coming to Columbus in August
WCMH NBC4 • Jul 29, 2024
“A new festival full of laughs and entertainment from national, local and regional comedians is coming to Columbus for the first time.”
The Confluence Cast: Columbus Comedy Festival
Confluence Cast • Jul 18, 2024
“Good comedy is a reflection of society. Next month, for five days, over 150 comedians will grace ten stages throughout the city for the inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival. On the occasion of the upcoming event, I sat down with Walker Evans, co-founder of Columbus Underground and the Comedy Festival, and Hannah Romes, co-owner of Hashtag Comedy.”
Columbus Comedy Festival returns Aug. 14
Columbus Jewish News • Jul 16, 2024
“From Aug. 14 to Aug. 18, the Columbus Comedy Festival will stage over 150 comics at venues throughout Columbus. Performances include Michael Ian Black and Shaena Rabbani, who are both Jewish.”
Jason Banks, Sam Jay, Michael Ian Black & More To Play Inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival
800 Pound Gorilla • Jun 10, 2024
“Ohio comedy fans, get excited: an amazing new comedy festival is headed your way this summer! The great city of Columbus, Ohio is getting its own comedy festival and has announced the inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival taking place August 14th-18th.”
150+ Performers Will Take the Stage at Columbus Comedy Festival
Columbus Underground • May 16, 2024
“The official lineup of the inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival — taking place August 14 through August 18 — was announced this morning as tickets simultaneously went on sale. Headliners include a “who’s who” of nationally acclaimed talent.”
Got jokes? Columbus Comedy Festival seeks talent for Aug. 14-18 debut
The Columbus Dispatch • Jan 23, 2024
“Fledgling comics and seasoned stand-ups alike can throw their hats in the ring for a spot at the inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival, which will host a laugh-inducing lineup of national, regional and local comedians from Aug. 14-18.”