More than 30 comedians from Northeast Ohio, across the country and as far as Canada will take over Ohio City, Duck Island and surrounding neighborhoods from September 30 through October 3 as the Cleveland Comedy Festival marks its 19th consecutive year. The lineup includes former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Redd, headlining a showcase at 8 p.m. on October 1, alongside a packed schedule of happy hours, showcases, a roast battle and a fundraiser benefiting a local dog rescue nonprofit.
The festival, first reported by Cleveland 19 News, centers its programming around Forest City Brewery and other area venues, with tickets sold individually per showcase or through a full festival pass. That $100 pass includes a complimentary t-shirt and access across all four days. Redd, whose Cleveland stop comes decades into a career that included winning a Primetime Emmy in 2018 for co-writing the SNL musical parody “Come Back, Barack,” according to the Television Academy, gives this year's lineup a national name to go with its deep bench of regional talent.
Forest City Brewery itself carries some history worth noting before the crowds arrive. The Duck Island venue occupies a restored 1900s timber-framed building that sits on the historic site of the 1865 Atlantic Tavern, once home to Cleveland's oldest traditional beer garden, according to FreshWater Cleveland. That backdrop makes it a fitting anchor for a festival that has built its identity around neighborhood roots even as it has grown.
A Four-Day Schedule Packed With Showcases
The festival kicks off September 30 with a Wednesday happy hour showcase at Forest City Brewery at 5 p.m., followed by CCF Presents Chris Paugh at 7 p.m., during which Paugh is recording an album at the venue, per the station's report. Later that night, the Village Idiot Open Mic takes the stage at Lakewood Village Tavern at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, October 1 brings another happy hour showcase at 5 p.m., the Women & Wine showcase at Market Avenue Wine Bar at 7 p.m. featuring Geneva Rust Orta, and Redd's headlining set at 8 p.m.
Thursday, October 1 is one of the festival's busiest days. Bill Squire's Hi & Dry Showcase is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Hi and Dry Bowling & Beer. Friday, October 2 opens with a happy hour showcase at Forest City Brewery at 5 p.m. The main stage hosts CCF Presents Hamburger at 7 p.m. that same evening, and CCF Presents Elijah Nevels — a graduate of the festival's own youth training program — takes the stage at 9 p.m. Nevels came up through the Class Clown Comedy Workshop, which trains teens ages 11 to 17 in stand-up, per the same account, giving the festival a direct pipeline from youth education to main-stage billing.
Closing Weekend Brings a Roast Battle and a Dog Rescue Fundraiser
Saturday, October 3 is the festival's most crowded day. It opens with Tim Cornett's Hündraiser fundraiser at Forest City Brewery at 1 p.m., benefiting City Dogs Cleveland, followed by a Ten Cent Beer Life & Jokewrld podcast interview featuring Marty Malloy at 3 p.m. Marty's Golden Ticket Showcase follows at 5 p.m., and the Women & Wine 2026 Saturday Showcase runs at 6:30 p.m. CCF Presents Miki Janosi takes the stage at 7 p.m., and the night closes with Roast Battle Cleveland at 9 p.m.
City Dogs Cleveland, the beneficiary of the Hündraiser, was launched in 2014 by Cleveland Animal Care and Control to boost shelter adoptions and rebrand pit bull-type dogs, which make up the majority of the city's kennel population, according to the City of Cleveland Division of Animal Care & Control. The fundraiser gives the festival's closing weekend a public-safety and animal-welfare dimension beyond the laughs.
From a 40-Comedian Debut to a Regional Network
The Cleveland Comedy Festival was founded in 2008 by Joe Hannum, J.D. Sidley and John Wellington, debuting at The Hermit Club with 40 Cleveland-area comedians, according to the Cleveland Comedy Festival. Nearly two decades later, it operates as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under the official name Cleveland Comedy Network & Festival, Inc., using ticket sales and donations to support community causes and educational programs. In May 2021, the organization expanded its footprint across Northeast Ohio by establishing a sister event, the Rubber City Comedy Festival in Akron.
That Akron connection runs both directions. Featured 2026 performer Miki Janosi started his comedy career in 2017 at Akron's Funny Stop Comedy Club before winning “Best of Fest” at the 2023 Rubber City Comedy Festival and relocating to Austin, Texas, according to his Eventbrite listing. His return for an October 3 showcase reflects how the regional festival network draws successful alumni back to Cleveland stages.
The festival also maintains its own memorial traditions. Its annual peer awards include the J.D. Sidley Award for Best in Writing, named for the late co-founder, and the “Pete” Award for Best Local Comedian, honoring longtime Funny Stop co-owner Boutros “Pete” Barakat, who died in 2023, per the festival's history page. Those honors sit alongside Cleveland's broader comedy legacy, including venues like Hilarities 4th Street Theatre, founded in 1985 by Nick Kostis, and comedic figures including Bob Hope, Drew Carey, Arsenio Hall and Steve Harvey.
