Dave Attell, Bill Burr and Nicole Byer are among the heavyweight headliners featured in the 2023 New York Comedy Festival announced on Tuesday.
The festival, which returns for its 19th year, will expand from seven days to 10, running Nov. 3 through Nov. 12.
Other headliners include Margaret Cho, Jeff Ross, Donnell Rawlings, Michelle Wolf, Nate Jackson and Tim Dillon.
In all, 200 comedians are scheduled to participate.
The festival, which debuted in 2004, brings over 100 performances to venues across New York City, including the Apollo Theatre, BAM, the Beacon Theatre, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Town Hall.
A handful of performances will be held at The Venue, a new space at the Hard Rock Hotel, where the festival was announced on Tuesday. “You are standing in the very place where the shows will be held,” said David Salcfas, general manager of the hotel, which is a festival partner.
Caroline Hirsch, the festival’s founder, emphasized this year’s run will have more women headliners and overall venues than past iterations. Hirsch’s namesake venue, Carolines on Broadway, closed in December 2022 after 30 years in business. She said the essence of the club will return during the festival as comedians who would normally perform there will have time slots during the festival.
“We are very proud of how we’ve grown the festival throughout the years, not only in establishing it as an integral and vital part of the city’s comedy scene and its live entertainment scene in general, but also becoming the country’s largest and most important festival,” Hirsch said during the media event. “We are very excited to continue to bring the very best talent from across the country and around the world to perform in all five boroughs.”
Bill Burr, who’ll headline Madison Square Garden on Nov. 10 for his fifth festival appearance, joined the press conference via Zoom.
“It’s been an honor since the first time I moved to New York City to ever be onstage in Manhattan,” Burr said. “That has always been a dream of mine as a comedian starting out in Boston, so for anyone to still care to come out and see me is incredible.”
Hirsch said the closing of her comedy club was the driving force behind the extension of this year’s festival, since she had more time available and wanted to produce better shows.
“When I walked into the venue after we produced somebody like Michelle Wolf, I’ll walk in there and see the place packed, and everybody having a great time,” she said. “And that’s what I enjoy most about producing the festival.”
More comedians and venues will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for all shows will go on sale to the general public on Monday, July 17, at 11 a.m.
