Funny Business

After a smashing inaugural year, the High Plains Comedy Festival rides again this summer with a kickoff party today from 4 to 8 p.m. at Illegal Pete's, 270 South Broadway, followed by a two-day lineup overstuffed with headliners Kumail Nanjiani, T.J. Miller and Pete Holmes, as well as national crushers...

By ron Graham

August 21, 2014

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After a smashing inaugural year, the High Plains Comedy Festival rides again this summer with a kickoff party today from 4 to 8 p.m. at Illegal Pete's, 270 South Broadway, followed by a two-day lineup overstuffed with headliners Kumail Nanjiani, T.J. Miller and Pete Holmes, as well as national crushers like Beth Stelling, Sean Patton, Kate Berlant and Cameron Esposito (to name just a few) and local favorites including the Grawlix, the Fine Gentleman’s Club, Troy Walker, Anthony Crawford, Carey Denise and Adrian Mesa.

“Honestly, pound for pound, comic for comic, I think this lineup is funnier than last year. [We have] so many national headliners and heavy-hitters,” says comic and festival co-organizer Adam Cayton-Holland.

“We just added Josh Blue to Saturday’s final show,” adds co-organizer Andy Juett. “This festival will be bananas, and the real crime will be not seeing all of it, because there’s too much good stuff.”

The festival runs through Saturday with the main event taking place in Saturday night at the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park and the rest of the fest unfolding throughout the Baker neighborhood, where one show is a mere drunken stumble away from the next along Broadway. The hi-dive, 3 Kings Tavern, Mutiny Information Cafe, TRVE Brewing and Illegal Pete’s will host comedy showcases, live podcast recordings and other festival events.

Ticket prices for individual shows vary, but a weekend pass for the entire festival is $100 and is available, along with showtimes and other information, at highplainscomedyfestival.com.
Aug. 21-23, 2014

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