The Moontower Comedy Festival is here! What was once just a few days of comedy is now almost two weeks long. Expect to see some familiar faces wandering the streets of Austin now through April 18.
Moontower Comedy Festival Brings Big Name Celebrity Comedians to Austin
This year’s Moontower lineup includes big names like Albert Brooks, Kevin Pollak, Kathy Griffin, Leslie Jones, Marc Maron and more. Here are a few of the sets we’re most excited about.
Cristela Alonzo – The Midlife Mixtape Tour
The State Theatre, April 8, 9 and 10
Cristela Alonzo is a powerhouse comedian, writer and actress who you may know from her Netflix specials Upper Classy, Middle Classy and Lower Classy. This trilogy of comedy hilariously traces her journey from humble beginnings to unapologetic self-awareness. She’s also a co-producer on Happy’s Place and she made history in 2014 by becoming the first Latina to create, produce, write and star in her own primetime sitcom, Cristela.
Kathy Griffin
Paramount Theatre, April 11
You may recognize Kathy Griffin from her hit Bravo series, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, which aired for six years and won two Emmys. She also starred on NBC’s Suddenly Susan and guest starred on Seinfeld, Law & Order: SVU, Glee, You, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. A little known fact that we just realized while reviewing Kathy’s credits is that she co-produced and co-hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve special with Anderson Cooper for 10 years.
Brad Williams – The Tall Tales Tour
Paramount Theatre, April 15
Brad Williams’ latest stand-up special, Starfish, has gone viral on YouTube with over 7.5 million views. He’s appeared on every late night show and many sitcoms over the years, including Sam & Cat and Mind of Mencia. Brad will next appear in the highly anticipated film Spinal Tap 2, premiering September 2025.
Marc Maron
Paramount Theatre, April 16
Marc Maron is known for his hit comedy specials, podcast (WTF with Marc Maron) and multiple acting roles including Glow, Stick and Joker. He also created, wrote and starred in his own IFC sitcom Maron, playing a fictionalized version of himself.
Stars In Bars
Antones, April 16 and Vulcan’s Gas Company, April 17
Tickets for this show are only $25 and you’ll see a slew of stars who are just like us… only funnier. This showcase features folks with good name recognition like Caroline Rhea, The Sklar Brothers, Jon Rudnitsky, Yakov Smirnoff and more.
Leslie Jones
Paramount Theatre, April 16
Leslie Jones is a three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee as well as a Writer’s Guild Award and NAACP Award nominee for her work on Saturday Night Live. You may also recognize her from Coming 2 America or 2016’s Ghostbusters.
Doug Loves Movies
The Creek and The Cave, April 17
Doug Benson has hosted the weekly comedy podcast Doug Loves Movies since 2006. Benson and his guests talk about movies and then play movie related games. Guests for this event are Nish Kumar, Jeremiah Watkins and Beth Stelling.
The Lauren & Mary Show!
The State Theatre, April 18
This evening of improv comedy is hosted by Lauren Lapkus and Mary Holland. You know Lapkus from Good Girls, The Wrong Missy, Orange Is The New Black and more. Holland is best known for Happiest Season, Senior Year and Ghosts.
Caroline Rhea
The Sunset Strip, April 18
Best known for her role as Hilda Spellman from the hit series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Caroline Rhea is also known as a regular panelist on the game shows Funny You Should Ask, Match Game, Name That Tune and Hollywood Squares.
An Evening With Albert Brooks
Paramount Theatre, April 18
Albert Brooks is a Hollywood legend who has appeared in over 30 films, beginning with Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the 1987 film Broadcast News. In addition to acting, he’s a writer, producer and director. Most recently, Brooks’ life and career was featured in the HBO documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, directed by Rob Reiner.
His special guest host for this event is Kevin Pollak. With a vast and varied resume of roles, you have definitely seen this man on screen. According to ChatGPT, his most famous roles include A Few Good Men, The Usual Suspects, Casino, Grumpy Old Men and The Whole Nine Yards.
Sarah Sherman & Meg Stalter
Paramount Theatre, April 18
Sarah Sherman currently stars on SNL while Meg Stalter can be seen on Hacks. These ladies are both chaotic, character-driven and intentionally uncomfortable in different ways. But the main thing they have in common is that they will surely make you laugh.
You can get more details on these shows and the full Moontower Comedy Festival schedule here.
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