Six Must-See, Gut-Busters at the NY Comedy Festival

During this year’s NY Comedy Festival (November 1-6), you have just six days to pick from over 100 stand-up shows and live podcast tapings. Sounds exhausting right? We’re with you — but come on, it’s comedy! You have to make it out to hear all those real, live gut-busters. Narrowing it down on which shows to see, well, that’s the hard part. Luckily, we’re here to help.

Stand Up for Heroes
November 1
The Theater at Madison Square Garden

The Draw: Giving back feels so good and giving back to a cause that actually helps us all — that feels major. Major is what Stand Up for Heroes is all about. For ten years, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has booked a star-studded benefit show. We don’t want to say this year’s show is better than ever — because they’re always marvelous — but this one’s going to be incredible. Louis CK, Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, and Jon Stewart will be bringing down the house at Madison Square Garden. As always though, the stories from service members, veterans, and their families are the main attraction. Expect tears of laughter mixed with some emotional moments, because a feel-good cry every now and then is just what the doctor ordered. Get tickets here.

Legion of Skanks
November 2
The Creek & the Cave

The Draw: This 100 percent-free, live podcast taping is 100 percent amazing, and we’ll prove it to you with just three names: Big Jay Oakerson, Luis J. Gomez, and Dave Smith. Boom. Think that’s not enough? During for the NY Comedy Festival taping, you will not only get your three main dudes, but you’ll also get another duuuuuuude, Robert Kelly. To say the least, this show is going to be straight fire. Word to the wise: tickets are first-come, first-served and the room isn’t very big. You’ve been warned, so hurry up. Get tickets here.

Eric Andre
November 3-6
Carolines on Broadway

The Draw: What can one say about Eric Andre without screaming, “WHAT THE FUCK?!” He’s hilarious and so over the top. He’s clever, he’s cute, he’s wild, amazing, crazy, astonishing… and we just used a bunch of completely accurate adjectives in a long-ass sentence so you should see this show based on that alone. Also, Andre might break things, and that’s always cool to watch. In the meantime, check out our cover story with him. Get tickets here.

Tim Minchin
November 3
Beacon Theatre

The Draw: As a comedian, actor, songwriter, composer, and director, Tim Minchin is well-rounded, to say the least. When he steps on the Beacon Theatre stage, it’s safe to assume you’ll be entertained in some way, shape, or form. Anticipate a night filled with incredible music — and laughs. If you haven’t yet seen Tim Minchin live, this is an unequivocal must-see event during the festival. Get tickets here.

Petey’s World
November 4
The Creek & the Cave

The Draw: Petey’s World, hosted by Petey DeAbreu, has been quite a hit at The Creek & the Cave. And this year, it’s a new addition to the NY Comedy Festival. Stepping into Petey’s World provides a hilarious distraction from your everyday life thanks to an always-interesting panel, a total party atmosphere, and a lot of smack talk. This particular show’s lineup includes Jeffery Joseph, John Laster, and Anthony DeVito. All that’s missing is you and your cool friends. Get tickets here.

Bill Maher
November 5
The Theater at Madison Square Garden

The Draw: A night out with Bill Maher will get you an heavy helping of political humor and satire mixed with a healthy dose of snark. We were lucky enough to catch Bill’s show last year and quickly realized no matter if you are left, right, undecided, up, or down, Maher delivers a show that brings everyone together — all in the name of humor. Get tickets here.

Check out the NY Comedy Festival website for tickets and the full lineup of shows and podcast tapings.