The Traverse City Comedy Fest is returning in 2025 with new spring dates and one of the biggest names in comedy, Marc Maron, set to headline the festival weekend. The festival will take place April 10-12 in eight venues across Traverse City, including the Traverse City Comedy Club, City Opera House, Old Town Playhouse, Encore 201, The Workshop Brewing Company, The Alluvion, Hotel Indigo and Park Place Hotel.
Maron will perform two shows at the festival on Saturday, April 12 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the City Opera House. Maron has released five hit stand-up comedy specials throughout his career. His most recent, “From Bleak to Dark,” premiered on HBO Feb. 11, 2023, and received rave reviews from critics and fans alike. Maron’s other specials include “End Times Fun” (2020) on Netflix, which was nominated for a 2021 Critics’ Choice Award, “Marc Maron: Too Real” (2017) on Epix, and “Thinky Pain” (2013).
Maron has an incredible reputation in the podcasting world through his landmark podcast “WTF with Marc Maron.” Launched in 2009, this interview-style podcast receives over 100 million listeners every year and has become a phenomenon in the podcasting space, with more than 1,400 episodes to date. Over the years, Maron has interviewed icons such as U.S. President Barack Obama, Keith Richards, Kate Winslet and Robin Williams. Earlier this year, Maron’s show became the first one-on-one podcast episode (Episode 67- Robin Williams) inducted into America’s National Recording Registry.
Maron starred in the Netflix series “Glow” and his scripted series, “Maron,” aired for four seasons on IFC. This past year, Maron also starred in the critically acclaimed feature film, “To Leslie” starring Andrea Riseborough and Allison Janney. Some of Maron’s other acting credits include his roles in “Joker,” “Respect,” the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic which he starred in alongside Jennifer Hudson, “Spenser Confidential,” “Sword of Trust” and “Stardust.” He also portrayed Mr. Snake in the Dreamworks animated feature, “The Bad Guys,” alongside Sam Rockwell, and Lex Luthor in “DC League of Super-Pets,” alongside Dwayne Johnson, Keanu Reeves and Kevin Hart.
Tickets for both of Maron’s Traverse City headlining shows will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. at TraverseCityComedyFest.com. Reserved tickets are $65-$85, with a limited number of VIP tickets available for $125. Tickets will be available only for Maron’s shows and no other Traverse City Comedy Fest events during this initial sales event.
The 2025 Traverse City Comedy Fest will feature dozens of other shows and events featuring acclaimed comedians from across Michigan and the U.S during the three-day festival. More headliners and programming will be announced in the coming weeks, with additional ticket sales to follow.
