New comedy festival aims to turn downtown St. Pete into a stand-up showcase

A new comedy festival is making its debut in downtown St. Petersburg this month, bringing more than 75 comedians to multiple venues in what organizers hope will become an annual event.

The inaugural Joke WRLD Comedy Festival is scheduled for Aug. 14-15, with performances spread across five stages in the city's downtown and Warehouse Arts District, according to a statement. The event is the first live festival organized by Joke WRLD, a comedy media platform known for its YouTube channel, which has built an audience of more than 760,000 subscribers through stand-up clips, interviews and comedy news. 

Festival headquarters will be at Coastal Creative, at 2201 1st Ave S, St., with additional performances at The Floridian Social, Steep Station, Spitfire Comedy House and Campbell Park. A free trolley will shuttle attendees between venues throughout the weekend.

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Organizers say a single festival badge will provide access to all stand-up performances, live podcast recordings and specialty comedy events across all venues.

The lineup includes nationally touring comedians Sam Tripoli, Greg Fitzsimmons, Joe DeRosa, Jeremiah Watkins, Casey Rocket, Maddy Smith, Tim Butterly and Tommy Pope, among dozens of others. Florida comedians scheduled to perform include Tampa Bay's Cam Bertrand and Max Castillo, Orlando comics David Jolly, Luke Touma and Christophe Jean, and Miami comedian Ryan Joseph.

In addition to traditional stand-up shows, the festival will feature live podcast recordings, Roast Battle League competitions, the God Damn Comedy Jam, Stand Up on the Spot and a comedian home run derby at Campbell Park.

Organizers say they chose downtown St. Petersburg because its concentration of venues within walking distance makes it well suited for a multi-stage festival. Coastal Creative, The Floridian Social, Steep Station and Spitfire Comedy House are all within a relatively compact area, allowing attendees to move between performances throughout the two-day event.

The festival will run from 1 p.m. to midnight on both Aug. 14 and Aug. 15. Organizers have partnered with the Courtyard by Marriott St. Petersburg Downtown to offer discounted hotel rates for attendees.

Tickets and additional information are available through the festival's website.