RISE Comedy Festival

RISE Comedy announced the return of the 5th annual RISE Comedy Festival, a two-weekend celebration of live comedy running July 24 through August 1, 2026 at RISE Comedy’s home venue in the historic Ballpark District.

The festival unfolds over two comedy-packed weekends. Weekend One (July 24–25) puts the spotlight on stand-up, pitting touring comedians against each other in a competition where the audience votes and the last comic standing takes home a cash prize. Weekend Two (July 30–August 1) shifts to improv, with dozens of ensembles converging on RISE’s Mainstage and new Hideaway Stage for a jam-packed slate of long-form, short-form, and genre-bending shows including the all BIPOC headliner Lemon Pepper Wet out of Upright Citizens Brigade.