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2024 Highlights

Thank you to all of the talent, industry, our partners, venues, vendors and the tens of thousands of comedy fans who joined us for our 20th anniversary! With more than 200 comedians performing in nearly 400 shows all across the big apple, 2024 was our biggest year ever. We’re thrilled to have shared all the laughter with you and can’t wait to do it again in november 2025!

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Joan Rivers Tribute Special to Air on NBC with Nikki Glaser, Bill Maher, Tracy Morgan and More

VARIETY

NBC Sets Star-Studded Joan Rivers Tribute with Rachel Brosnahan, Nikki Glaser and More

THE WRAP

New York Comedy Festival Co-Founders Raise the Curtain on 11 Days of Laughs

Billboard

The New York Comedy Festival Is Huge. These 8 Shows Are a Good Start.

The New York Times

JB Smoove and Caroline Hirsch Talk New York Comedy Festival

Fox 5 New York

Instagram

Congratulations to @nikkiglaser, pictured here performing at the 15th Annual Stand Up for Heroes show at the 2021 #NewYorkComedyFestival, on her well earned honor of being named one of The Top 100 Most Influencial People of 2025 by @time. #NikkiGlaser #Innovator #Time100 #💯

It’s Tax Day — a day when we could all use a really good laugh! Luckily, our friend @timjdillon has a big “return” for us — his hilarious new stand-up special,Tim Dillon: I’m Your Mother, just dropped and is streaming now on @netflix. Check it out! 🎤🔥 #timdillon #imyourmother #netflix #netflixisajoke

Cheers! Throwing it back to November 2024 when one of our hilairous headliners @sommore got to mix it up (pun intended!) with Christal Young (@christalfox5) and @ryankristafer on @fox5ny’s #GoodNightNewYork in a highly spirited appearance where she shared our deliciously refreshing and festive signature cocktails — The Opening Act, The Feature Act, and The Headliner — that were served exclusively at the @hardrcokhotelnyc to celebrate our 20th anniversary. 🍹#makeNYlaugh #NYCF20

Get ready to laugh till you drop! We can’t wait to celebrate the amazing life and hilarious legacy of the legendary Joan Rivers on May 13 in “Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute” on @NBC — and with an extended and uncensored version streaming the next day on @Peacock! It was an honor to have this star-studded tribute show recorded live on the opening night of our 20th anniversary to benefit God’s Love We Deliver (@godslovenyc) an incredible organization that was near and dear to Joan’s heart that provides nutritious meals to those in need. #makeNYlaugh #NCYF20 #JoanRivers #ComedyLegend #NBC #peacock

Throwing it back to an unforgettable night at the 2024 #NewYorkComedyFestival when we had the pleasure of screening Before We Get Started, a deep dive into the world of warm-up comedy with filmmakers Ryan Reiss (@rrcomedy) and Pete Demas (@endlessfilms_) at @hardrockhotelny. From the backstage hustle to the big laughs, this documentary gives an inside look at one of comedy’s toughest gigs. Shoutout to the who’s who list of comedy stars who were featured in the film, including Judd Apatow, Nate Bargatze, Leslie Jones, Norman Lear, Howie Mandel, John Oliver, Ray Romano, Amy Schumer, and many more. After the screening, there was an insightful Q&A with the filmmakers and panel that include TJ Miller (@teenagemillionaire). This film a must-see for anyone who loves comedy — and the unsung heroes behind the laughs. #makeNYlaugh #NYCF20
#BeforeWeGetStarted

@ZarnaGarg is taking the comedy world by storm! A powerhouse comedian with with a newly published memoir, an upcoming @hulu special, and a sitcom in the works — we couldn’t be prouder of this rising star as she brought down the house at @townhallnyc, leaving the standing-room-only crowd in stitches! Zarna’s just getting started and we can’t wait to see where she goes next! 🎤🔥 #makeNYlaugh #NYCF20 #ZarnaGarg #namaste

We were thrilled that our favorite dropouts, the boys from The Dropouts podcast, dropped in to #TheVenueonMusicRow at @hardrockhotelnyc with their hiliarous pod to bring some late night laughs to the 2024 #NewYorkComedyFestival! #makeNYlaugh #NYCF20 #TheDropoutsPodcast

HUGE congratulations to the one and only #ConanOBrien (@teamcoco) on receiving the highly deserved 26th Mark Twain Prize for American Comedy last night at the @kennedycenter! Your impact on comedy is unmatched and this honor is so well deserved. Bravo! 👏👏👏👏#ConanOBrien #MarkTwainPrize #KennedyCenter

There was no shortage of WTF? moments in 2024 and nobody addressed them more hilariously than the great @billmaher. The “Real Time” and “Club Random” host returned to the #NewYorkComedyFestival to share his unique perspecitves on politics and more with his signature take-no-prisoners and pull-no-punches style that has made him one of the most prolific comedians ever, and had the capacity crowd at the @beacontheatre hanging on his every word. Thanks, Bill, for always keeping it 💯#makeNYlaugh #NYCF20 #BillMaher 🎤🔥

@mccuskermatthewj — the “Matt half” of the hilarious Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast — made a triumphant #NewYorkComedyFestival headlining debut at Town Hall in 2024, holding the crowd in his hands from start to finish! If you’re a fan of his sharp wit and engaging storytelling, you already know why he’s one of the hottest comedians out there today! We couldn’t have asked for a better night of laughs! Thank you, Matt,for being such a special part of our 20th anniversary celebration. #makeNYlaugh #NYCF20 #mattmccusker

If you’re looking for some really BIG laughs, consider yourself lucky! @bertkreischer is back with his fourth @netflix stand-up special, “Bert Kreischer: Lucky.” The ageless party boy waxes comedic on everything from weight loss to family antics to getting parenting advice from @snoopdoog! So, ditch your shirt, grab a cocktail (or two) and catch Lucky, streaming now! #bertkreisher #lucky #netflix #netflixisajoke 🎤🔥

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