Is It Safe To Go Back To Comedy Festivals in 2022?
Is It Safe To Go Back To Comedy Festivals in 2022?
Festivals say yes, until the pandemic says otherwise, it seems
Are you “done” with COVID yet? Are you over the pandemic?
More and more Americans seem to be answering yes to those questions, despite the cold, hard fact that none of those people have had any control over actually ending the pandemic already, or even putting an end to it anytime soon.
That’s clearly exemplified by our comedy-festival-industrial-complex.
Having their plans dashed for the final nine months of 2020, festival organizers kept hoping and trying to put together some sort of comedy confab during 2021. They made it virtual! They made it outdoors! They made it just for folks within their nation’s borders! They postponed the dates, then postponed again! 2022 would be different, they all felt. Perhaps we did, too. I know I did. After coming thisclose to booking a trip to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in early March 2020, I’d hope to attend last year, only to find Australia wasn’t having any of it in terms of foreign visitors. Just For Laughs launched an inaugural getaway to Cancun in November 2021, which looked kind of appealing, but proved too rich for my blood.
But in between, the evidence proved something else: Perhaps now isn’t the time for mass gatherings indoors, particularly when you don’t know who’s vaccinated. Just ask “The Clean Comedy Challenge.”
Nevertheless, comedy festival organizers have persisted.
The folks who run SF Sketchfest announced a huge slate of performers on Nov. 19, 2021, looking forward to celebrating their 20th fest this January. Then Omicron came calling.
On Dec. 30, 2021, they reluctantly announced they’d postpone. Some performers and staffers had caught COVID already, while airlines were cutting flights, adding even more risk for pulling off a successful, safe festival. Two weeks later, they announced that delay would last a full year, to Jan. 20 to Feb. 5, 2023. SF Sketchfest co-founders Cole Stratton, David Owen and Janet Varney said: “While we're disappointed to spend another year apart, the health and safety of our audience, performers, and staff comes first. Due to venue availability, 2023 is the earliest we can present the festival as planned, but we can't wait to safely laugh along with you then! And thank you for your patience while we’ve been working to reschedule these shows. We are beyond grateful for your support!”
What about the rest of the fests for 2022? Will the shows go on as planned?
Here are the major comedy events on the calendar for now, including multiple brand-new ventures — thanks in part to a once-again expanding JFL strategy.
Say hello to Just For Laughs Vancouver! Formerly known as JFL Northwest, they announced a lineup including Marc Maron, Ronny Chieng, Nicole Byer, Andrew Schulz, Maria Bamford, Vir Das, Roy Wood Jr., Chris Redd, Janeane Garofalo, Dana Gould, Joel Kim Booster and many more. Pretty solid!
On second thought.
JFL Vancouver wanted to kick off Feb. 15, but well, you know. Kinda tough in these conditions, especially getting Americans back and forth across the border. Blame British Columbia? That’s what the fest has done — don’t mind me and my well-timed photo of the two slides sliding into each other — as JFL says “in light of the ongoing provincial restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Just For Laughs Vancouver is postponing the upcoming 2022 festival. Festival ticket purchasers will be contacted directly with more information.” One show remains booked, with reduced capacity: Trevor Noah on Feb. 26 at Rogers Arena, a venue large enough for social distancing.
So, who’s next?
Gilda’s Laughfest expects to celebrate 20 years this March 16-20 in Grand Rapids, Mich. They announced their lineup Jan. 19, including Justin Willman, Maria Bamford, Fortune Feimster, Charlie Berens, and Tone Bell. They’re still on, as far as Ticketmaster is concerned.
I don’t know what to make of the World Comedy Expo, because that’s a first!
Planned for Chicago from March 25-27, 2022, the World Comedy Expo boasts performers “from 18 countries spanning five continents, including China, Rwanda, India, Ecuador, Canada, Italy, Thailand, Japan, and Mexico. 94 stand-up comedians and 25 ensembles, 174 artists in total, will perform over the course of the three-day festival at Laugh Factory, The Annoyance Theatre, The Den, and UP Comedy Club and Donny’s Skybox at The Second City.” Special programs include The History of Chicago Comedy, moderated by Kelly Leonard and Anne Libera with panelists Raymond Lambert, Rick Kogan, Jennifer Estlin, and Mick Napier, exploring how Chicago came to prominence in the world of comedy. Workshops include Intro to the Art of Slow Comedy Improv workshop with Jimmy Carrane, developing people into better performers by learning the tools of improvisation; and Improv for Stand Up, led by Rachael Mason and Susan Messing, developing skills to improvise your way through tricky moments, audience interactions, and the dreaded “oh no, I forgot what I’m doing next!” situations.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, traditionally one of the world’s big three (the others being JFL Montreal and the Edinburgh Fringe), held court in 2021 but only for Australians. This year? Still unclear whether us Yanks can visit, but they’re advertising a full slate of shows from March 30 to April 24.
Then comes Moontower in Austin, now boosted by JFL. They announced their lineup on Jan. 19, the same day LaughFest unveiled theirs. Moontower Just For Laughs Austin has tons of shows and podcasts planned for April 13-24. It’s now covering two weeks, whereas before, Moontower lasted five nights.
Badges already went on sale, but single show tickets for the headliners are up for grabs this Thursday.
The full lineup?
The day after Moontower JFL Austin ends, Netflix’s Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival takes over Los Angeles. Previously planned for 2020, it’s now on for April 28 to May 8, 2022. In partnership with Live Nation, the lineup of more than 130 acts includes filming of multiple Netflix specials, of course. Among them: Gabriel Iglesias in Dodger Stadium! STAND OUT: An LGBTQ+ Celebration at The Greek Theatre, with Bob the Drag Queen, Eddie Izzard, Fortune Feimster, Gina Yashere, Guy Branum, James Adomian, Joel Kim Booster, Judy Gold, Mae Martin, Margaret Cho, Marsha Warfield, Matteo Lane, Patti Harrison, River Butcher, Sam Jay, Sandra Bernhard, Scott Thompson, Solomon Georgio, Tig Notaro, Trixie Mattel, Wanda Sykes and more; That’s My Time with David Letterman; Pete Davidson and Best Friends; THE HALL: Honoring The Greats of Stand-Up, a closing night all-star homage to George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Joan Rivers and Robin Williams; Netflix Is A Joke at The Palladium, a stand-up showcase hosted by Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin; as well as a second Palladium showcase hosted by Amy Schumer.
How do you feel about the Colorado Rockies in May? The Vail Comedy Festival wants you to pay them a visit this Memorial Day weekend. No lineup announced yet, but organizers promise “Vail Comedy Festival has confirmed headliners from The Comedy Store, The Comedy Cellar, HBO, CBS and NBC.” For what that’s worth.
And if you’re a comic looking to perform, you can submit until Feb. 28.
The biggest industry confab of them all, JFL Montreal, went hybrid virtual last year, with New Faces showcases happening in Los Angeles and them beamed out live and archived to industry. This July it’s all systems go for their 40th anniversary? That’s what it looks like as of now, with Juste Pour Rire hyping up Bill Burr in the Bell Centre! Will the ComedyPro return with panels and the like?
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe also is staring at a major anniversary — their 75th! — with plans to come back in full force this August. Dates? August 5-29, 2022.
Let’s hope the Brits get their acts together, so to speak, or let Scotland go free!
Luis J. Gomez started Skankfest in Long Island City, moved it to Texas last year, and now plans on Las Vegas for October 2022. Oct. 14-16. Pre-sale tickets sold out already.
In Ireland, the Galway Comedy Festival — “now Ireland’s (and also the EU’s) biggest comedy festival” (the magic of Brexit, it’s working!) — returned last year in a reduced capacity, but has planned 70+ shows for Oct. 25-31, 2022. They’ve even announced two acts already, six months in advance: Gary Delaney, and Tommy Tiernan.
I’m sure more comedy festivals will come out of the woodwork this spring and summer, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to laugh again in peace and harmony.
JFL’s also looking ahead to 2023 and breaking into the UK with JFL London?! Plans are for a four-day pass-based fest coordinated among JFL, AEG Presents, and The O2 venue.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
I remember JFL proudly proclaiming an expansion into Africa way back in 2017, with the first JFL Africa supposedly happening 2018 in Durban, South Africa. How’d that turn out?