SF Sketchfest Unveils Lineup for 2024 Comedy Festival Featuring More Than 200 Shows

SF Sketchfest has revealed the initial lineup for the 2024 comedy festival taking place January 18-February 4 in venues across San Francisco. The multi-day festival will host more than 200 shows featuring major comedy stars and the best up-and-coming acts for sketch, stand-up, alternative comedy, music, improv, films, tributes, all-star reunions, live podcasts, and workshops. Now in its 21st year, SF Sketchfest is an internationally recognized, eclectic, and critically acclaimed festival that offers audiences a wide variety of special programming and the rare opportunity to see their favorite performers in intimate live settings. 

Tickets go on sale Sunday, November 19 at 10am PT/1pm ET at sfsketchfest.com. 
 

Special events include comedy legend Eric Idle in his first live North American show in 7 years, joined by his friend and collaborator Jeff B. Davis for a truly rare, one-night-only performance featuring music, conversation, and scenes — including the world premiere of a never-before-seen Monty Python sketch.

Tributes include an afternoon with acclaimed writer, comedian, and actress Amber Ruffin, the host of “The Amber Ruffin Show,” who will sit down for a freewheeling chat with Zainab Johnson, and a night celebrating the indie comedy duo “Derek and Simon,” with cast and creators Derek Waters, Simon Helberg, Bob Odenkirk, Naomi Odenkirk, Jake Johnson, and Eric Edelstein.

SF Sketchfest presents a special in-person Tribute to Kyle MacLachlan, who is best known for his iconic performance as FBI Agent 'Dale Cooper' in David Lynch's groundbreaking series "Twin Peaks." In what has become a tradition, The Red Room Orchestra will play music from the "Twin Peaks" soundtrack along with selections from MacLachlan's other projects. In a twist on the festival's typical Tribute format, the event will focus primarily on music, but will also feature surreal interactions and conversation with MacLachlan alongside another special guest from the "Twin Peaks" universe, Carel Struycken, who played the series' inimitable Giant.

Comedy icons The Kids in the Hall will bring sketches, stories, and songs to SF Sketchfest, performing as the full cast and also in solo shows. The State: Hits and Misses features the ‘90s favorites performing rare and never-before-seen sketch pitches and giant misfires.

From the world of theater, the festival welcomes the improvised hip-hop extravaganza freestyle+ from the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway hit Freestyle Love Supreme and Bay Area phenomenon Speechless, for a five-show run at Club Fugazi featuring special guest Bill Irwin, a living legend of theater and clowning. Wild theatrical parodies include The Fast and the Furious: A Musical Parody and Exorcistic: The Unauthorized Rock Musical Parody of The Exorcist.

New podcasts appearing at the festival include acclaimed actor Paul Giamatti's Chinwag with Stephen Asma; the Team Coco podcast Scam Goddess with Laci Mosley; How Long Gone; The Pen Pals Podcast with Rory Scovel and Daniel Van Kirk; MESS with Sydnee Washington and Marie Faustin; Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's Let's Make a Poop with guest “Weird Al” Yankovic, and more.

Music programming includes Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy performing two separate classic R.E.M. albums, ‘Murmur' and ‘Reckoning,' over two nights; in keeping with the Athens, Georgia theme, the festival welcomes the Pylon Reenactment Society featuring original Pylon singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay; plus the YouTube sensation Epic Rap Battles of History featuring EpicLLOYD and Nice Peter; evenings of music and comedy from the likes of Adam Pally, Whitmer Thomas, Open Mike Eagle and Video Dave; the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band with Ken Marino and David Wain; The Red Room Orchestra playing the "Harold and Maude" soundtrack with guests including Margaret Cho and Petra Haden, and "The Lost Boys" soundtrack, with special guest bodybuilding saxophonist Tim Cappello, and more.

Bring the kids to Mo Willems & The Storytime All-Stars Live and to GLOP meets GLOG, a puppetry and improvisation show featuring the Glorious Ladies of Puppetry and the Glorious Ladies of the Groundlings.

Returning festival favorites include Asian AF, Maria Bamford, Todd Barry, The Black Version, Joel Kim Booster, Celebrity Autobiography, David Cross, Fake TED Talks, Jo Firestone, “Futurama,” Solomon Georgio, Jon Glaser, The Improvised Shakespeare Company, Judge John Hodgman, Marc Maron, Eugene Mirman, RISK! with Kevin Allison, Dulcé Sloan, Stuff You Should Know, Paul F. Tompkins, Jenny Yang, and many more.

The SF Sketchfest Dozen, a yearly spotlight of 12 top comedians, is once again stacked with an array of diverse talent, featuring Emma Arnold, Greg Barris, Katrina Davis, Mike Drucker, Mohanad Elshieky, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Liz Miele, Ify Nwadiwe, Clare O'Kane, Jes Tom, Mo Welch, and Paige Weldon. 

Tickets for all shows on sale Sunday, November 19 at 10am PT/1pm ET at sfsketchfest.com.
 

Special Events & Tributes

• Eric Idle but Jeff B. Davis
• The Kids in the Hall: Unplugged  
• The Kids in the Hall: Scenes They Wouldn't Let Us Do
• An Afternoon with Amber Ruffin: An SF Sketchfest Tribute
• The State: Hits and Misses
• The Red Room Orchestra play Twin Peaks & more with very special Tribute guest Kyle MacLachlan, plus special guest Carel Struycken
• freestyle+ with special guest Bill Irwin
• Derek and Simon (and Bob): An SF Sketchfest Tribute Celebration, with Derek Waters, Simon Helberg, Bob Odenkirk, Naomi Odenkirk, Jake Johnson, and Eric Edelstein
• Paul Giamatti's CHINWAG with Stephen Asma
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's Let's Make a Poop! with “Weird Al” Yankovic & more

Sketch & Improv Comedy

• Beverly Live! with Jamie Denbo
• The Big Team
• The Black Version
• BriTANick, with Business Casual
• Convoy
• Dinosaur Improv with Owen Burke, Chad Carter, Lisa Gilroy, Mary Holland, Phil Jackson, Jason Mantzoukas, Seth Morris, Paul Scheer, and Carl Tart
• Drunk Theatre
• GEORGE-prov with Connor Ratliff
• Gethard & Sagher
• Girl God, with Uncle Function
• The Groundlings: Cookin' with GAS
• The Groundlings: Personals
• The Improvised Shakespeare Company
• Killing My Lobster
• SponTourCo with Paul F. Tompkins
• SuperMarried with John Ross Bowie and Jamie Denbo
• Theme Park Improv with Ian Brennan, Rachel Dratch, Simon Helberg, Michael Hitchcock, Jessica Makinson, Oscar Nunez, Cole Stratton, and Janet Varney
• Time to Kill: A Sketch Comedy Show

Variety & Game Shows

• Asian AF
• Ask a Magician with Robert Strong
• Battle of the Wizards: Magicians vs. Mentalists, with Robert Strong
• The Bay Area Pun-Off
• Black Men Can't Jump present Minority Rules, with Jonathan Braylock, James III, and Jerah Milligan
• Brew HaHa: The Comedy Drinking Game Show, with Matt Braunger, Ali Macofsky & more
• A Close Shave with Heaven: A Super Serious Night of Poetry & Comedy with Derrick Brown, Amber Tamblyn, Kurt Braunohler, and Eugene Mirman
• Comedian Feud with Jacquis Neal and guests Tim Baltz, Eugene Cordero, Pallavi Gunalan, Lauren Lapkus, Tawny Newsome, Blair Socci, Paul F. Tompkins, Sasheer Zamata & more
• David Wain's World of Wonder: a night of magic, comedy, music and other delights, with Michaela Watkins & more
• Filipino AF
• Jeopargay! with Spike Einbinder and Honey Pluton
• Knees Up with Chris Turner
• Maniac Bowl with Jesse Fernandez and Arthur Gaus
• Okay, Who Did It? with Jo Firestone
• Self Help Me with Jenny Yang: A Competitive Self-Care Comedy Show
• South Asian AF
• Tinder Live with Lane Moore and guest David Cross
• The Trav-enture Zone: A Night of Dungeons & Dragons & also Comedians hosted by DM Travis McElroy
• Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins

Podcasts & Talk Shows

• Avatar: Braving The Elements
• The Bechdel Cast with Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus
• The Bitchuation Room with Francesca Fiorentini and Nato Green
• The Chonga Girls
• Doug Loves Movies
• Exploration: LIVE! with Charles Bardey and Natalie Rotter-Laitman
• The Flop House: A Podcast About Bad Movies
• The George Lucas Talk Show
• The Greatest Generation: The Share Your Embarrassment Tour with Benjamin Ahr Harrison and Adam Pranica
• Hello From the Magic Tavern
• Hey Riddle Riddle
• How Long Gone
• I Love My Kid, But… with Kurt Braunohler, Megan Gailey, and Chris Garcia
• Judge John Hodgman, with Jesse Thorn
• MESS with Sydnee Washington and Marie Faustin
• Moshe Kasher's Subculture Vulture: An Evening in Six Scenes
• The Neighborhood Listen with Paul F. Tompkins, Nicole Parker, Brett Morris & more
• Never Not Funny with Jimmy Pardo
• Office Hours East with New York Jonathan, Slice, Football, & Producer Tory (Jon Glaser, Jo Firestone, Tami Sagher, and Tory Harris)
• The Pen Pals Podcast with Rory Scovel and Daniel Van Kirk
• The Psychologists Are In with Maggie Lawson and Timothy Omundson
• Scam Goddess with Laci Mosley
• Stuff You Should Know
• Talking Simpsons
• Too Far with Rachel Kaly and Robby Hoffman
• Will You Accept This Rose with Arden Myrin, Erin Foley, Brayden Bowers & more
• Yo, Is This Racist? with Tawny Newsome and Andrew Ti
• You Are Good with Sarah Marshall, Alex Steed & more
• You're Wrong About with Sarah Marshall, Carolyn Kendrick & more

Music & Comedy

• Adam Pally: An Intimate Evening of Music and Comedy
• Dave Hill: Caveman in a Spaceship
• Epic: Every Place I Cry with Ross Bryant, Nick Mandernach, Jess McKenna, and Zach Reino
• Epic Rap Battles of History with EpicLLOYD and Nice Peter / Kyle Gordon
• Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm and “Friends”
• Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy and Friends play R.E.M.'s ‘Murmur'
• Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy and Friends play R.E.M.'s ‘Reckoning'
• Middle Aged Dad Jam Band with Ken Marino and David Wain
• Music Night with Kyle Gordon, DJ Real, Chaki The Funk Wizard, Jen Liv, Naomi Rubin, and Matt Shore, hosted by Eric Rubin
• Off Book: The Improvised Musical with Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino
• Open Mike Eagle with Video Dave
• Pylon Reenactment Society / Kelley Stoltz
• The Red Room Orchestra plays the “Harold and Maude” soundtrack with special guests Margaret Cho, Petra Haden, Janet Varney & more
• The Red Room Orchestra plays “The Lost Boys” soundtrack with special guest Tim Cappello
• Stupid Songs and Stories with Kevin McDonald
• An Evening with Whitmer Thomas

Film & Television

• The Benson Movie Interruption: “Fast X”
• Dub-a-Dub-Dub with Justin Michael
• Found Footage Festival Volume 10: Popcorn Classics
• “Futurama” 25th Anniversary Spectacular with David X. Cohen, John DiMaggio, David Herman, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom, and Billy West
• Outtake-o-rama: Infamous Celebrity Outtakes with David X. Cohen, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, and Billy West
• “The Wrong Guy” Screening + Reunion with Dave Foley, Jennifer Tilly, David Anthony Higgins, Jay Kogen, and Kevin McDonald

Theater & Storytelling

• Celebrity Autobiography with Pamela Adlon, Tony Hale, Laraine Newman, Eugene Pack, Dulcé Sloan, Jennifer Tilly & more
• Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip
• Edinburgh Spotlight: The Baron and the Junk Dealer
• Edinburgh Spotlight: Chris Turner: Vegas, Baby!
• Edinburgh Spotlight: Emily Wilson: Fixed
• Edinburgh Spotlight: Sophie Santos…is Codependent / A Terrible Show for Terrible People
• Ever Mainard: OTTIS
• Exorcistic: The Unauthorized Rock Musical Parody of The Exorcist, with special guest Kirsten Vangsness
• Fake TED Talks, with Matt Braunger, Guy Branum, Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Adam Savage, Amy Schneider & more
• The Fast and the Furious: A Musical Parody
• Mortified
• Porchlight: A Storytelling Series, with Cristela Alonzo, Chris Garcia, Bob Odenkirk & more, with music by Marc Capelle, and hosted by Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte
• The Real Housewives: The Unauthorized Musical Parody
• RISK! with Kevin Allison
• Scott Thompson as Buddy Cole in KING
• So Say We All: VAMP Nonfiction Showcase
• Solo Spotlight: Brittany Carney: Kingdom Phylum Ass / Rachel Kaly's Hospital Hour
• Solo Spotlight: Chris Smith: Acting in a Time Such as This / Dandy: Man of the Year
• Solo Spotlight: Teeny Tiny with Joey Greer
• Stop Joking for 100 Years and Other Requests From My Kid (Stories of Parenting and Childhood), with Eugene Mirman, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Gethard, Amber Tamblyn, and host Ophira Eisenberg
• Sydnee Washington: How To Start A Fire

Stand-Up Comedy

• Aaron Chen
• Bad Indian: A Native American Comedy Show with Joshua Emerson
• Blabbermouth with Phil Griffiths and Red Scott
• Brett Gelman: INAPPROPRIATION
• Celebrity Drop-In with Anna Roisman and Ben Fisher
• Comedians with Disabilities Act with Michael Beers, Steve Danner, Nina G, Loren Kraut, Hayden Kristal, and Jade Theriault, hosted by Mean Dave
• Comedy Rodeo with Hayden Kristal
• Cornpops and Space Lasers -- Political Standup with Francesca Fiorenti and Nato Green
• David Cross & Friends
• D.J. Demers / Ali Macofsky (co-headline)
• Donde Esta Mi Comedy? with Baruch Porras-Hernandez
• Dulcé Sloan
• Embarrassed By Night Celebrates Lunar New Year with Fred Le and Andrew Van
• Everything's Great! with Nick Kocher, Demi Adjuyigbe, and Addie Weyrich
• Facial Recognition Comedy with Zahra Ali, Fizaa Dosani and Pallavi Gunalan
• Fun Voices with Ron Funches and Blair Socci
• The Gateway Show with Billy Anderson
• Hilarious Habibis with Gena B. Jones and Lynn Maleh
• Hot Sets with Veronica Kwiatkowski and Sam Clark
• An Hour with Josh Johnson
• Interruption Show with Dalia Malek
• Jena Friedman: Not Funny
• Joel Kim Booster & Friends
• Jolli-Baes with Andrew Orolfo
• Jon Glaser's Soothing Meditations for the Solitary Dog
• Killer Lineup: Cristela Alonzo, Chris Gethard, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Josh Johnson, Aaron Chen, and host Paco Romane
• Marc Maron: All In
• Maria Bamford
• Marie Faustin in YUCK: An Hour of Good Jokes and Bad Dates
• Matt Braunger
• Mirthquake with Jesse Hett, Andrew Holmgren and Ben Kolina
• Nori Reed
• PGF Records Presents: Clare O'Kane Album Recording, with an opening set by Eugene Mirman
• Raining Comedy: A Pacific Northwest Showcase
• Red, White and Blue-Pilled starring Jon Daly as Johnny Doily
• Resistance Is Fertile with Brooke Heinichen and Luisa Isbell
• Robby Hoffman
• Safe Words with Wonder Dave
• The Setup with Abhay Nadkarni and Richard Sarvate
• The SF Sketchfest Dozen:
  • Ify Nwadiwe & Paige Weldon
  • Greg Barris & Mike Drucker
  • Clare O'Kane & Mo Welch
  • Mohanad Elshieky & Joyelle Nicole Johnson
  • Liz Miele & Jes Tom
  • Emma Arnold & Katrina Davis
• Solomon Georgio / Sydnee Washington (co-headline)
• Todd Barry: Half Joking Tour
• Zainab Johnson

  Kids Shows
• GLOP meets GLOG: Glorious Ladies of Puppetry & Glorious Ladies of the Groundlings
• Mo Willems & The Storytime All-Stars Live, with W. Kamau Bell, Dulcé Sloan, “Weird Al” Yankovic & more

Workshops & Interactive Events

• Character Workshop with Brian Palermo
• RISK! presents What's Your Story? with Kevin Allison

Lineups are subject to change.

Tickets and info at sfsketchfest.com

SF Sketchfest takes place from January 18th through February 4th at the Alameda Comedy Club, Brava Theater Center, The Castro Theater, The Chapel, Club Fugazi, Cobb's Comedy Club, The Gateway Theater, The Great American Music Hall, The Great Star Theater, The Lost Church, Marines' Memorial Theatre, The Marsh, The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, The Punch Line Comedy Club, and The Sydney Goldstein Theater.

ABOUT SF SKETCHFEST

SF Sketchfest, co-founded and directed by David Owen, Cole Stratton, and Janet Varney, produces the eclectic San Francisco Comedy Festival, the longest-running comedy festival in the U.S. SF Sketchfest is an internationally recognized and critically acclaimed event that mixes major comedy stars and the best up-and-coming comedians from around the world for over two weeks of sketch, stand-up, alternative comedy, music, improv, films, tributes, live podcasts, workshops, and panel discussions. SF Sketchfest offers its audiences the rare opportunity to see their favorite performers in intimate live performances and discussions.

In past years, SF Sketchfest has featured renowned comedy artists such as Aziz Ansari, Fred Armisen, Dan Aykroyd, Maria Bamford, Dave Barry, Mike Birbiglia, Jack Black, Rachel Bloom, Carol Burnett, Dana Carvey, Cheech & Chong, Margaret Cho, Billy Crystal, Noel Fielding, Zach Galifianakis, Ricky Gervais, Christopher Guest, Eddie Izzard, Monty Python's Terry Jones, Key & Peele, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, Kate McKinnon, Tig Notaro, Conan O'Brien, Catherine O'Hara, Patton Oswalt, Penn & Teller, Amy Poehler, Paul Reubens, Mort Sahl, Amy Schumer, Amy Sedaris, Garry Shandling, Harry Shearer, Robert Townsend, Aisha Tyler, George Wallace, Reggie Watts, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Robin Williams, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. The festival has also hosted film and television stars including Alan Arkin, Will Arnett, Candice Bergen, Bruce Campbell, Lizzy Caplan, Dick Cavett, Bud Cort, Ted Danson, Laura Dern, Danny DeVito, Sally Field, Nathan Fillion, Jeff Goldblum, Elliott Gould, Jon Hamm, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Irwin, Ricky Jay, Rashida Jones, Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Jason Schwartzman, Adam Scott, Jason Segel, Tony Shalhoub, and Gene Wilder; ensemble comedy groups The Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show, “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” The State, “Drunk History” and the Upright Citizens Brigade; reunions of the casts of "Best in Show", "Airplane!" “Wet Hot American Summer”, “Animal House”, “Twin Peaks” and “Party Down”; musical guests David Byrne, Bill Frisell, Ben Gibbard, Tenacious D, Aimee Mann, The Monkees, Bob Mould, Rhett Miller, tUnE-yArDs, Nellie McKay, Robert Glasper, and many more.