The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official museum and cultural institution dedicated to comedy, announced today that comedians Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and Taylor Tomlinson will headline the 2023 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, August 2 through 6.
Tickets for these shows, along with many other festival comedy events including the festival’s annual, popular-favorite, the Stand-Up Showcase, will go on pre-sale for National Comedy Center Members only – starting Friday, May 12 at noon ET through Wednesday, May 17 at www.ComedyCenter.org.
Public on-sale date will begin Friday, May 19 at noon ET.
Late Night comedy shows and Lucy legacy events will also go on sale at that time in an outstanding lineup that will celebrate comedy’s contemporary stars, rising voices, and historic legacies. A free family variety and comedy event will also take place, as well as evening block parties featuring live music.
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, the top-selling comedian in the world in 2022, and one of the most-watched comedians on YouTube with over 1.1 billion views, will be performing on Thursday, August 3.
Iglesias continues to sell out venues around the world and has over 25 million fans on social media, his immense popularity uniquely spanning all age groups. He is one of an elite handful of comics to headline and sell out Madison Square Garden, The Staples Center and the Sydney Opera House and became the first comedian to perform at Dodger Stadium, selling 45,000 seats in 2022. Iglesias is the star and executive producer of the Netflix original comedy series Mr. Iglesias and numerous Netflix stand-up specials. He will be co-starring in the upcoming second season of the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses.
Taylor Tomlinson, who is currently breaking ticket sale records set by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, and selling out venues worldwide following her two highly acclaimed Netflix stand-up specials, will perform Friday, August 4, as part of her current “The Have It All” tour.
Tomlinson recently has had multi-show sellouts in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Dublin and more. In Boston, she eclipsed a mark previously set by Seinfeld with 14,000 tickets sold at the Bosh Center. Tomlinson was named the “Breakout Comedy Star of Year” in 2022 by Just for Laughs and Variety named her one of the “Top 10 Comics to Watch. TIME magazine selected her for its TIME100 Next list and Forbes named her to its “30 Under 30” Hollywood and Entertainment list.
Tomlinson’s second Netflix special, Look at You, was recognized as the top comedy special of 2022 by The New York Times, Vulture and The Los Angeles Times. She has performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Mornings, and The Kelly Clarkson Show.
“I’m so excited to be a part of this summer’s Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown, NY!” stated Taylor Tomlinson. “I can’t wait to see you all at the National Comedy Center in August.”
Both Iglesias’ performance on August 3 and Tomlinson’s performance August 4 will be held in Jamestown’s Northwest Arena, adjacent to the National Comedy Center complex.
“The National Comedy Center is pleased to welcome these two comedy record-breakers: Gabriel Iglesias, who sold more tickets than any other stand-up artist last year – and Taylor Tomlinson, who’s selling out multitudes of shows around the world,” stated Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center Executive Director. “It’s fitting that National Comedy Center’s festival will be headlined by both a legend of, and the future of, comedy. We are thrilled to have them.”
The festival’s popular Stand-Up Showcase, featuring some of the greatest comedic talent from around the country, will take center stage on Saturday, August 5. Comedy Late Night will take place nightly on Thursday, August 3 through Saturday, August 5. The festival will feature over 20 of the most popular artists currently performing in comedy clubs and appearing on late night television.
A free, family variety and comedy event will take place on Wednesday, August 2 featuring performer Nels Ross at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, followed by “Lucy Under the Stars” – a free block party with a screening of classic I Love Lucy episodes presented on the jumbo screens in front of the National Comedy Center.
“Our festival will once again offer great comedy for everyone, from two of stand-up comedy’s greatest stars, to the best emerging talent from around the country, to family comedy, block parties, and much more,” stated Malachi Livermore, the National Comedy Center’s Vice President of Programming and Guest Experiences. “We look forward to comedy fans from across the country experiencing everything that our festival has to offer.”
To become a National Comedy Center Member in order to gain first access to available seats during the pre-sale ticket window, visit ComedyCenter.org/membership or call the National Comedy Center at 716.484.2222. Memberships start at $75 and provide year-round benefits including a “season pass” for visiting the acclaimed National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.
The acclaimed National Comedy Center and the Lucy Desi Museum are both welcoming visitors throughout the festival, including to the Comedy Center’s new, multi-media exhibits Johnny Carson The Immersive Experience featuring Hologram Host Jimmy Fallon and Carl Reiner: Keep Laughing, as well as to the over 50 interactive experiences providing laughter for all ages – the experience named one of TIME’s “World’s Greatest Places”, USA Today’s “Best New Museum”, and U.S. News & World Report’s “Top 25 Family Weekend Getaways.” Advanced purchase of museum admission is recommended to avoid sellout. Admission tickets may be purchased while purchasing festival event tickets.
The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is presented by the National Comedy Center and embodies Lucille Ball’s vision for her hometown, Jamestown, New York, to be a destination for the celebration of the comedic arts and to showcase new comedic talent from around the country. The festival attracts over 15,000 attendees annually from nearly every state in the country, who come together to share laughter while honoring the craft and contributors on stage at dozens of venues throughout Jamestown, including the National Comedy Center and the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum.
Now in its 33rd year, the festival has featured comedy’s greatest stars and rising young comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Jay Leno, Sebastian Maniscalco, Amy Schumer, Brian Regan, Ellen DeGeneres, Lewis Black, W. Kamau Bell, Jim Gaffigan, Paula Poundstone, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, the Smothers Brothers. and more than one hundred other comedic artists. Last year’s festival featured comedians Jeff Foxworthy, Margaret Cho and Saturday Night Live alumni David Spade, Kevin Nealon and Rob Schneider.
