Austin’s longest-running comedy festival returns Thursday, November 5, through Sunday, November 8, 2026, for a second consecutive year after a multiyear hiatus. Across the city, the program brings together sketch, improv and stand-up, from Austin troupes to visiting acts. Among the offerings are a stand-up show followed by a therapist panel and a political sketch performance scheduled just after Election Day.
A Festival Rebuilt After Years Away
Out of Bounds paused for several years during the pandemic before returning to Austin stages in 2025, according to The Austin Chronicle. The festival is co-produced by Ellen Pizarek and Asaf Ronen. Its current program again spans sketch, improv and stand-up.
The 2025 edition, the festival’s 19th overall, ran November 6-9 and featured more than 50 acts, according to Now Playing Austin. Shows took place at Coldtowne Theater, The Hideout Theatre, Fallout Theater and Scottish Rite Theater. Organizers told Texas Standard they wanted to bring in acts from around the country while spotlighting local talent.
A Broad Mix Of Performers And Formats
This year’s headlining comics are Jiavani, Oscar Montoya and Zeke Nicholson, according to the Chronicle. The bill also includes themed stand-up shows pitting comics against each other as stoned versus drunk versus sober, and A Funny Feeling, which pairs stand-up with a therapist panel afterward.
Last year’s festival leaned on guest performers tied to Dropout, a comedy streaming channel, including all-stars Ify Nwadiwe, Kimia Behpoornia and Ross Bryant, according to Now Playing Austin. The festival has historically balanced that kind of national name recognition with deep local roots — a 2012 look at the festival from the Chronicle described more than 500 performers across 100 shows and six venues, with founder Jeremy Sweetlamb saying at the time that the festival pursued measured expansion and stayed careful about not going into debt.
Local Troupes Take The Stage
Among the Austin acts returning this year is Y’All We Asian, described as Austin’s and Texas’ first all Asian-American improv troupe, according to Crowdwork. The troupe was founded in 2017 and launched its monthly show Family Style at Fallout Theater in 2020, per Austin Community College. The group typically performs an hourlong show and maintains its Fallout Theater residency, according to the Chronicle.
What Past City Guidance Says About Arts Funding
A City of Austin Q&A dated February 9, 2023, said cultural projects with an artistic component, including stand-up comedy and improv, were eligible under the guidance addressed there. That older guidance does not establish current eligibility or funding for Out of Bounds or other comedy groups, according to the City of Austin.
The roster also reaches beyond Texas. Chicago troupe Wolf Town formed in 2023 at the city’s iO Theater, while Los Angeles-based Bitchin’ began as a UCB Harold Team in 2019 and earned its own main stage show in 2023, according to Crowdwork. Austin’s 1800CHANGEDMYLIFE improv troupe is also listed among this year’s participating acts on the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival site.
A Political Sketch In The Post-Election Slot
Over the Lege is a sketch show responding to voting results and local legislative decisions, according to the Chronicle. It is scheduled to perform two days after the midterm election. Crowdwork describes it as the number one, and some say only, political satire show based solely on the Texas Legislature. The festival’s move from its earlier September scheduling to November places the performance just after the election. Full festival details and schedules are posted at oobfest.com.
Cast member Aaron Salinas told the Chronicle the show keeps finding new ways to joke about restrictions on women’s healthcare access and new bathroom bills, while fellow performer Alisa Hernandez said the show raises awareness of local politics and offers communal support for audiences. The festival’s shift away from its earlier September scheduling and into a November slot now puts Over the Lege’s performance in direct conversation with fresh election results, a timing choice organizers appear to have built into this year’s programming. Full festival details and schedules are posted at oobfest.com.
