Nikki Glaser, Michael Rappaport and more put comedy spotlight on Rehoboth Beach

The stages at beach entertainment venues are surprisingly busy for November, and the offerings this week include nationally-known comedians at a coastal Sussex County festival.

Nikki Glaser, Michael Rapaport at big Rehoboth comedy festival

The second annual Towers Comedy Festival takes place Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 8-11. As with 2022’s inaugural event, the kickoff party takes place Wednesday at The Starboard nightclub in Dewey Beach; tickets to this year’s edition featuring funny man Alonzo Bodden sold out well in advance.

The rest of the Towers Comedy Festival action will take place in downtown Rehoboth Beach, with shows Thursday through Saturday at the 1,000-seat Rehoboth Beach Convention Center.

Performers include Michael Rapaport, Monet X Change and Hannah Einbinder. This year’s headliner is risqué comedienne Nikki Glaser, who will play two shows in one night at the convention center at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 ($40 to $80).

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Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival marks major milestone

Another beach festival is marking a milestone this week. The 25th annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival takes place Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 8-12. Two-dozen movies, documentaries and shorts will be screened at the Cinema Art Theater on southbound Route One (north of Midway).

A nearby venue on southbound Route One that will also see crowds this weekend is The Listening Booth. The acoustic concert space is located in the Tanger Outlets Surfside shopping center at Midway.

The spot at 35000 Midway Outlet Drive (Suite 218) will present Nashville singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 11.

Chapman has friends in high places; Elton John covered her song “Sand and Water,” and she landed a Grammy nomination for co-writing the Faith Hill hit “This Kiss.” General admission tickets are sold out, but $55 VIP packages remain.

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Ocean City's Shell Shocked part 2 at Fager's Island

Down south In Ocean City, Fager’s Island hosts its 14th annual Shell Shocked oyster eat. The first installment of this two-part event took place last Saturday and featured a jam session with the bands Sweet Leda and Lower Case Blues. Local favorite Opposite Directions will rock the house with an expanded lineup of musicians when it plays the second part of Shell Shocked at Fager’s from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 ($72).

In Dewey Beach, the Rusty Rudder is rocking and rolling when it comes to advance tickets sales. We mentioned in this column last week that tickets were going on sale for a pair of concerts taking place there in the next few months — and they have both sold out in advance already.

First up is Jimmie Allen’s annual Christmas charity show for teenagers and children Friday, Dec. 15, with proceeds benefiting the Sussex Consortium. Tickets are still available for Allen’s adults-only show at the Bottle & Cork nightclub in Dewey at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16 ($60).

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The Rudder’s other sellout is a winter bash that quickly drew the attention of Delmarva’s legions of Swifties. The Taylor Party, which is a traveling dance party paying homage to Ms. Swift, will pack them in at the Rudder on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Rudder owner Alex Pires said last week that he and his team are trying to secure a second date to accommodate the strong demand. A newly announced concert will pay tribute to the soft-rock sounds of yesteryear; tickets are set to go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, for The Yacht Lobsters, who will appear at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24 ($25).

Email Roger Hillis at rogerhillis@gmail.com

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Comedy and film festivals in Rehoboth, plus much more on beach scene