About the Shows

The Portland Maine Comedy Festival is excited to produce forty-five shows this year! We TOTALLY get this can be intimidating when picking a show to go to, so let’s dive in:

FEATURE and HEADLINING shows will be the best of the best! These have regional and national touring comics on them, comics who are getting consistent paid work just for being funny. These shows are all priced at $20. If you’re looking to see someone who’s gonna be on Netflix next year, this is your best bet.

SPECIALTY SHOWCASES are showcases which highlight performers from historically marginalized groups in the world of comedy. This year, we have shows featuring comics who are BIPOC, Female/Female-Identifying, Queer, and Over 50 Years Old. These shows are also priced at $20 and have some STACKED lineups.

OPEN MICS are shows where anyone participating in the festival is welcome to hop up on the mic and do a shorter set. These are intentionally added opportunities for comics making the trek to Portland from all over the country to perform a little extra. These are all free and open to the public, and who knows? Maybe the joke someone is working on this year is the one that’ll propel them to fame and fortune next!

ALL OTHER SHOWCASES feature comics on the Festival. We had about 330 comics apply from all over the country to participate, and selected the top 100 to join us! These are some SERIOUSLY funny people who are just a step away from being household names. These shows range in pricing from free to $15 in order to keep prices affordable and accessible to all audiences. Just because a show is cheaper does NOT mean you’re getting less laughs per minute, or comics who aren’t as good.