This summer, Columbus will host dozens of national, regional and local comedians to entertain guests attending the first annual Columbus Comedy Festival, taking place August 14 through August 18. The multi-day experience will be hosted at a variety of venues across the city, including The Columbus Funny Bone, The Attic Comedy Club, The Nest Theatre, The Hashtag Comedy Company, Don’t Tell Comedy: Columbus and more.
“As Columbus grows, so does the importance for quality, live entertainment in the city,” stated Hannah Romes, performer, producer and co-owner of Hashtag. “We are incredibly lucky to have such a strong pool of comedic talent in Columbus, which has been a bit of a secret until recently.”
The Columbus Comedy Festival schedule will be announced in May with talent booking ongoing this spring. An application form went live on Friday, January 19, and dozens of performers have already submitted to take part in this year’s event.
The lineup will include a mix of stand-up comedy, improv, sketch comedy, live podcast recording, variety/alternative shows, industry mixers and more.
“Columbus is now the second largest city in the Midwest, and it so deserves this festival,” stated Tara DeFrancisco, co-founder and artistic director of The Nest Theatre. “The Nest has grown from 24 students in 2016 to over 1,400 students and performers just under our roof, and Columbus is a new major player in the national improv and comedy scene.”
Some of the newest additions to the local comedy ecosystem include The Attic Comedy Club in Olde Towne East, which opened its doors in December 2022, and has already hosted well known performers including Mark Normand and Dave Chappelle. Hashtag Comedy opened its own performance venue in The Short North in November 2023. And the local organizers behind Don’t Tell Comedy: Columbus will be celebrating their second anniversary in February.
“Columbus is the comedy capital of America,” stated Peter Ostapowicz, organizer at Don’t Tell Comedy: Columbus. “Not only is the local scene teeming with talent, but Don’t Tell Comedy
brings in secret nationally touring comedians every weekend, many of whom become Columbus’ new favorite comedian.”
Meanwhile, The Columbus Funny Bone has been entertaining local audiences for nearly 40 years and fully understands the impact that live comedy can have on a city’s culture and identity.
“We see it every weekend,” said Dustin Leber, general manager at The Columbus Funny Bone. “That couple that finally got an opportunity to get away from their jobs, their kids and daily stresses — they get 90 minutes with us to briefly forget their troubles and just laugh. It’s not going to solve all your worries, but it damn sure helps.”
The Columbus Comedy Festival is organized and operated by Columbus Underground, an online news/media company that hosts multiple large-scale annual events including the Columbus Coffee Festival, Urban Living Tour, Sweet Treats Dessert Festival and more. Columbus Underground is fully owned and operated locally by Anne & Walker Evans, and proceeds of all CU events help to fund local journalism year-round.
“From improv to stand up, sketch and variety shows, Columbus has multiple comedy shows selling out every weekend, yet so many residents don’t know how or where to find live comedy,” added Romes. “The inaugural Columbus Comedy Festival is a huge milestone for Columbus’ performers, producers and venues.”
More information and performer application forms can be found at: www.columbuscomedyfest.com.