Fringearts' Annual Comedy Festival, Blue Heaven, Returns In April

FringeArts has announced the fifth annual Blue Heaven Comedy Festival, an expanded four-day-long celebration of the best and most exciting up-and-coming alternative comedy acts in the country. The festival kicks off Thursday night (4/20) with a screening of cult stoner comedy Smiley Face. Friday night, Los Espookys cast member Spike Einbinder hosts a lineup of stand-up comedians. Saturday's program includes comedian Ben Wasserman's comedic meditation on death, Ben Wasserman: Live After Death, following a sold out run at funeral homes, comedy theaters, jazz clubs, record stores, and death museums across the country. To close out the festival on Sunday, Bushwick-based Club Video will be hosting their quarterly showcase premiering short-form experimental comedy films from independent creators made specially for the show. Comedy lovers can dance the night away at the new FringeBar (formerly La Peg) following shows Friday-Sunday.

Since its inception in 2019, Blue Heaven has established itself as an arbiter of who's next in the contemporary comedy realm. Past performers have included Sarah Squirm (Saturday Night Live), Meg Stalter (Hacks), Patti Harrison (Shrill), Joel Kim Booster, Cole Escola, Natalie Palamides, and Jaboukie Young White, among others.