New York Comedy Festival brings big reunion, shows for a good cause, laughs
NEW YORK (WABC) -- From Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre to Town Hall, the city that never sleeps is about to become the city that can't stop laughing.
Now in its 21st year, the New York Comedy Festival is bringing the best of the best to the Big Apple.
"A culmination of the year, coming together to celebrate. It's very New York, and it's very inside comedy," said Caroline Hirsch, Founder, NY Comedy Festival.
Hirsch is the mastermind behind it all, founder of the festival and the legendary comedy club, Caroline's.
So how did she come up with the festival?
"This came about from the 20th anniversary of Carolines on Broadway. At Carnegie Hall, we brought together all of my comedians and friends who had kind of graduated from Caroline's and went on to do bigger things, and we brought everybody back. We had a great celebration, and people said, 'You should do more of this,'" she said.
It's an absolutely stacked lineup, and one of the festival's most anticipated nights is a very special reunion.
Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello are reuniting 25 years after "Strangers with Candy," the cult Comedy Central series was canceled.
But the festival isn't just about the headliners, it's about discovering tomorrow's comedy stars.
New York's Funniest is back again this year, and there have been some big names who have actually won this before.
"Yes. Our first one was Nate Bargatze, and that was 2010, with Josh Johnson, Tim Dillon, Ricky Velez. Michael Che won, and we were so excited the night Michael won. He got an agent and manager right there, standing at Caroline's. So, we've had great people come out of this festival," Hirsch said. "It's the stamp of approval. When you're in the New York Comedy Festival, you're onto something."
The festival's most meaningful night is one of its biggest.
"And then, of course, we have Stand Up for Heroes, which is always our charity event and part of the opening of the festival," Hirsch said.
From stand-up to improv, sketch acts to live podcast tapings, the festival celebrates comedy in all its forms.
"So diversified. It's stand-up. It's improv. It's storytellers. It's podcasts. We cover the range in the festival and highlight what's happening in comedy today," Hirsch said.
All of this to say: in a city that never stops moving, there's always time to stop and laugh.
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