(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Amy Schumer, Pete Davidson, Artie Lange, Hannibal Buress, Nate Bargatze, Andrew Schulz, Carlo Mencia, Toddy Barry, Ted Alexandro, Judah Friedlander, TJ Miller, Rachel Feinstein, and roughly 400 other comedians are all part of a luscious, laugh-filled decade of history that surrounds the Hoboken Comedy Festival.
Celebrating its successes and Hoboken's continued growth is this year’s 10th Annual Hoboken Comedy Festival. The Festival is set to take place September 30th through October 6th and is packed with a powerful line-up that is full of comedy dominance, all within the city that gave it its name. In all, 13 shows and more than 90 comedians will be featured.
"For the first time in a decade, the future of our Festival is in question", says Festival Coordinator Dan Frigolette. “The landscape of venues has changed so drastically over 10 years that we are having a hard time finding suitable locations for performances.” The Festival, now more than ever, has started looking towards non-traditional venues to host comedy.
Long gone are the days of legendary performance spaces like Maxwell’s who once housed The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, and even Justin Timberlake. In their wake have come single-roomed, fast-paced, often themed and impersonal corporate bars. While those corporate additions to Hoboken are welcome and conducive to further development, it's unfortunate that they do not make useful spaces for performances. Last year, Hoboken Comedy Festival utilized The Jubilee Center, a non-profit space used primarily for children’s after school services, and Barsky Gallery, an independent art gallery, as venue space for shows. “Both venues were amazing for us and worked incredibly for our needs,” said Frigolette, “but audiences are more interested in comedy shows in bars.”
This year is no different. With a mixture of bars and performance spaces, the 10th annual Hoboken Comedy Festival hopes to maintain its decade-long record of sold-out shows. Attendance is crucial -- $1 per ticket sold, or donated, is allocated to a different charity each year. Prior recipients have been Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corp, Boys and Girls Clubs of New Jersey, and the Liberty Humane Society.
This year, six of seven nights of the Hoboken Comedy Festival will honor and support the Hoboken Police Department’s Police Benevolent Association Local 2 with per head donations and a tip bucket to go around at each event. Friday's night of events will exclusively benefit The Jubilee Center of Hoboken, who is partnering with the festival as host and has asked Frigolette to Emcee their 2019 Fundraising Gala to commence one week later.
The Festival takes place Monday to Sunday with 8:00pm shows nightly -- late-night shows will be added Friday and Saturday. Event hosts will include Willie McBride’s, 616 Grand Street, Arthur’s Tavern, 237 Washington Street, Brass Rail, 135 Washington Street, The Jubilee Center of Hoboken, 601 Jackson Street, and Studio L, 505 Madison Street. Presale Tickets are $20 weekdays and $25 on the weekends, with an additional $5 added if purchased at the door.
For Lineup Information, venues, and tickets check out www.HobokenFestival.com or call 201.898.0772. Monday to Thursday are headliner shows with new talent contest slots. Friday and Saturday feature headliners and a week’s worth of contest winners -- Sunday crowns a Festival Winner.
Photos by Chris Langston
