Jon Stewart, SNL’s Newbie, and More: 10 Must-See New York Comedy Festival Shows

No matter how tragic reality may be or feel, comedy has always provided a release valve. It’s why Caroline Hirsch first started the New York Comedy Festival 19 years ago, in 2004.

“The New York Comedy Festival first started in the aftermath of 9/11 to get the city back on its feet and have New Yorkers experience the healing power of comedy and laughter,” Hirsch tells The Daily Beast. “And it also very much resonates today. As Pete Davidson said in his SNL monologue, ‘Sometimes comedy is the only way forward through tragedy.’”

Hirsch adds, “And, no other comedy festival is held in the capital of the world, New York City. There’s nothing like comedy in New York City, especially since it has some of the greatest venues in the country.”

Hirsch’s namesake comedy club, Carolines on Broadway, closed its doors in Times Square at the end of 2022 after 40 years in business, and this June celebrated a new Carolines exhibit at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York. “It’s bittersweet not having Carolines on Broadway as the festival Hub, but even if we don’t have Carolines on Broadway’s four walls, the brand is still here,” Hirsch says. “We are really focusing on growing the festival and the brand in general and putting together the best festival possible.”

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Overseeing her comedy club for four decades, and the festival for almost half that time, means she has witnessed the rise of hundreds if not thousands of comedians from weeknight club spots to theaters to iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall and arenas like Madison Square Garden.

“I remember seeing Bill Burr perform showcase spots on weeknights at Carolines many years ago, so to see him in a venue the scale of Madison Square Garden is really impressive,” Hirsch says. Burr’s Nov. 10 gig at MSG will mark his third time playing The Garden, all in conjunction with the NYCF. The fest has also booked MSG slots in the past for Kevin Hart in 2012, the Impractical Jokers guys in 2017, Trevor Noah in 2019, and Jo Koy last year.

This is the NYCF’s biggest event yet, expanded from a week to 10 nights, with more than 200 performers in more than 100 shows across all five of the city’s boroughs. To help you navigate it all, here are 10 noteworthy shows for 10 nights at 10 different venues to get a full taste of what’s going on in comedy in 2023.

Friday, Nov. 3: Cherry (ArtSpace at Public)

This is your best chance to see Saturday Night Live’s newest cast member, Chloe Troast, as she co-hosts this weekly showcase in a swanky Lower East Side hotel alongside writers Moss Perricone (The Other Two, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj) and Auguste White (SNL). Their confirmed lineup includes Ike Ufomadu, Michael Cruz Kayne, and Caroline Baniewicz.

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Saturday, Nov. 4: Drew Michael: Here (Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater)

With two HBO specials under his belt, Drew Michael returns with his most ambitious and audacious project yet, exploring and explaining his acceptance (or lack thereof) of his progressive hearing loss, and providing audience members with customized headphone experiences so they can hear the world as he does: with great difficulty.

Sunday, Nov. 5: Abby Govindan and Enemies (Chelsea Music Hall)

Abby Govindan is more than just a Gen Z comedian who found fame via social media during the pandemic; she’s also the creator of Netflix’s Emily In Paris, if you don’t fact-check her tweets. Govindan will perform a half-hour of stand-up, supported by opening sets from Ashton Womack, Auguste White, Ibhan Kulkarni, Josh Gondelman, and Mohanad Elshieky.

Monday, Nov. 6: Stand Up For Heroes (David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center)

An all-star fixture event since 2007, this show helps veterans and their families, in coordination with The Bob Woodruff Foundation, and is named for the former ABC anchor who suffered a traumatic brain injury in an explosion while reporting in Iraq in 2006. This year’s lineup features Jon Stewart, Jimmy Carr, Ronny Chieng, Shane Gillis, Tracy Morgan, plus performances by Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, The War & Treaty, and an appearance by Rita Wilson.

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Tuesday, Nov. 7: Samantha Bee Presents Wits End (Midnight Theatre)

The former host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS stars in this live trivia game show. She’ll face off against Wyatt Cenac, her fellow former correspondent on The Daily Show, as each of them is backed up by a panel of experts in the trivia subjects. Hosted by Adam Kesner with Kenice Mobley.

Wednesday, Nov. 8: Patti Harrison: My Huge Tits Huge Because They Are Infected NOT Fake! (Murmrr Theatre)

Patti Harrison sold out this show, as well as a second show added for Nov. 11, for good reason. No, it’s not the title. Harrison’s such a scene-stealer that she has her own sketches in Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, and has lit up the big screen in recent years with supporting roles in Theater Camp, The Lost City, and a starring turn as a pregnant surrogate opposite Ed Helms in Together Together.

Thursday, Nov. 9: Comedy Gives Back Laugh Aid (Gotham Comedy Club)

Founded more than a decade ago, Comedy Gives Back hit a new gear in the pandemic, right when comedians needed a safety net most. The organization has provided financial relief, mental health therapy, support for addiction treatment, and now, an online portal that allows members to search for, compare and access affordable healthcare services and prescriptions with transparent pricing for the comedy community called Comedy Gives Back HealthNet. Gary Gulman, Jessica Kirson, Jeff Ross, Erin Jackson, and surprise guests perform in this benefit show.

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Friday, Nov. 10: Tim Dillon or Anthony Jeselnik (Carnegie Hall)

Dark humor lights up Manhattan’s most iconic stage. Anthony Jeselnik starts things off at 7 with his brand of intentionally brutal humor that hallmarked his critically acclaimed Netflix specials. Then at 9:45, it’s Tim Dillon, who won the festival’s “New York’s Funniest” competition back in 2016, and has since become one of the highest-paid podcasters via Patreon, as listeners flock to hear his latest nihilist rants.

Saturday, Nov. 11: Atsuko Okatsuka: Full Grown Tour (Town Hall)

In the past year, Atsuko Okatsuka has seen her crowds grow from a few hundred to several thousand per tour stop. The comedian, who was born in Taiwan and spirited from Japan to Southern California as a child, had to add a second show after her first Town Hall slot sold out. That’s largely thanks to her stunning HBO debut, The Intruder, directed by Tig Notaro.

Sunday, Nov. 12: Kelly Bachman: Trauma Mia! (Littlefield)

Bringing it full circle, from tragedy to comedy and back again. Bachman, who went viral in 2019 for confronting Harvey Weinstein when she saw him in the audience of her bar gig, has since released her first comedy musical album, Rape Victims Are Horny Too, with Dylan Adler, a former writer for The Late Late Show with James Corden. Adler will join Bachman for this gig, as will Adam Conover, the outspoken WGA negotiating committee member best known for his TV show Adam Ruins Everything.

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