For 35 years, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival has brought the biggest names in comedy to Lucille Ball’s hometown. This summer, the festival reaches a new milestone with its biggest lineup yet, welcoming Jerry Seinfeld, Bert Kreischer and Seth Meyers to headline more than 50 live events across four days in Jamestown.

Returning Aug. 6–9, the festival once again transforms downtown Jamestown into one of the country’s premier destinations for comedy fans. Five major theater and arena performances anchor the weekend, complemented by stand-up showcases, Comedy Late Night, outdoor block parties, live music, Lucy celebration events, museum experiences and family activities that together create an unforgettable celebration of comedy’s greatest voices—past, present and future.

Drawing more than 15,000 ticket buyers from over 40 states each year, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival has evolved into one of the nation’s premier comedy events. Anchored by the National Comedy Center—recently named the #1 Best Pop Culture Museum in the Country by USA Today—and the Lucy Desi Museum, the festival offers visitors a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience today’s biggest comedy stars while exploring the history of the art form in Lucille Ball’s hometown.

This year’s festival also arrives during a landmark year as fans celebrate the 75th anniversary of I Love Lucy, the groundbreaking television series that forever changed television comedy and introduced generations of viewers to one of the most beloved comedians of all time.

Festival headlining performances include:

Thursday, Aug. 6, 7 p.m. — Jerry Seinfeld (Northwest Arena)

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2 p.m. — Carol Leifer in Conversation (National Comedy Center)

Friday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m. — Stand-Up Showcase (Reg Lenna Center for The Arts)

Saturday, Aug. 8, 7 p.m. — Bert Kreischer (Northwest Arena)

Sunday, Aug. 9, 5 p.m. — Seth Meyers (Northwest Arena)

“The National Comedy Center’s museum and archive were established to celebrate the art form’s distinct voices and contributions throughout time, and this year’s festival brings together artists who represent distinct approaches to the craft. I love that audiences can experience the best of live comedy while connecting it to the larger story we preserve and share every day in Jamestown,” said Journey Gunderson, Executive Director.

“Our festival has grown into one of the premier comedy events in the country, and this year’s lineup reflects that momentum,” said Malachi Livermore, Vice President of Programming & Guest Experiences. “With three of today’s top artists and an expanded slate of performances across the city, anchored by the award-winning museum, the multi-day experience brings audiences closer to comedy’s biggest stars and rising talent.”

Seinfeld Takes Center Stage

Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy career took off after his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981. Eight years later, he teamed up with fellow comedian Larry David to create what was to become the most successful comedy series in the history of television: Seinfeld. The show ran on NBC for nine seasons, winning numerous Emmys, Golden Globes and People’s Choice awards, was named the greatest television show of all time in 2009 by TV Guide, and in 2012 was identified as the best sitcom ever in a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll.

His latest Emmy-nominated Netflix projects include Jerry Before Seinfeld and 23 Hours to Kill, along with the highly acclaimed web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Seinfeld has also starred in, written and produced films (Comedian, Bee Movie), directed and produced a Broadway hit (Colin Quinn: Long Story Short), and written three best-selling books (Is This Anything?, The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Book and Seinlanguage) and a children’s book (Halloween). He stars in the Emmy-nominated comedy film Unfrosted, which he directed, co-wrote and produced.

Seinfeld continues to perform nationally and internationally and returns to Jamestown for the first time since his acclaimed appearance at the 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.

Kreischer Brings the Party

Bert Kreischer’s career has evolved from Rolling Stone’s infamous “Number One Partier in the Nation” to one of the top-grossing stand-up comedians in the world—and a powerhouse entrepreneur, actor, producer, content creator and entertainment brand. Named by Forbes as “one of the best storytellers of his generation,” Kreischer has parlayed his signature comedy and authenticity into a dynamic media empire.

His sixth Netflix special, Lucky, premiered in Netflix’s “Top 10 Most Watched TV Shows” in March 2025. Through Berty Boy Productions, Kreischer oversees hit podcasts and series including Bertcast, Something’s Burning and 2 Bears, 1 Cave (with Tom Segura), commanding more than 16 million fans and four billion impressions. He also founded the Fully Loaded Comedy Festival, a touring juggernaut that’s expanded to stadiums, arenas and sold-out cruises.

Kreischer’s Netflix scripted comedy series Free Bert debuted in January 2026 and quickly broke into Netflix’s U.S. and global Top 10. His Permission to Party World Tour continues to blend comedy, business and culture into one of the most recognizable personal brands in entertainment today. Festival audiences will have two opportunities to experience Kreischer live with performances at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Seth Meyers: From Late Night to Jamestown

Seth Meyers is an Emmy Award-winning writer, New York Times bestselling author and host of NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014. Meyers began his television career with Saturday Night Live in 2001, where he was a cast member for 13 seasons. He served as head writer for nine seasons and anchor of “Weekend Update” for eight. He has released two critically acclaimed stand-up specials to date, Lobby Baby (Netflix) and Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking (HBO Max). In all, Meyers has garnered 35 Emmy nominations for his work in television.

In addition to his onscreen success, Meyers is a New York Times bestselling author, having published his first picture book, I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared, in 2022. He currently co-hosts two podcasts, Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers, alongside his brother Josh Meyers, and The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, with Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Meyers performs stand-up to sold-out crowds across the country and co-headlines a monthly residency with John Oliver at the Beacon Theatre in New York.

Emmy and Golden Globe-Winning Comedian and Writer Carol Leifer

The festival will also welcome one of television comedy’s most accomplished creative voices. Carol Leifer—comedian, producer and Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning writer—will appear in conversation with comedian, writer, actor and producer Emmy Blotnick on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 2 p.m. at the National Comedy Center.

An eight-time Emmy nominee, Leifer received her latest nomination just this past week for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for the 97th Academy Awards, bringing her career total to eight Emmy nominations, including one win. Her groundbreaking career has helped shape modern comedy through writing credits that include Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Saturday Night Live, Modern Family and the Emmy-winning Hacks. She has written for the Academy Awards 12 times—more than any other female writer—and is also the co-author of How to Write a Funny Speech: For a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation and Every Other Event You Didn’t Want to Go to in the First Place. From stand-up stages to some of television’s most celebrated comedies, Leifer remains one of the industry’s most influential creative voices.

Over 50 Live Events

Beyond the headlining performances, the festival’s Friday Night Stand-Up Showcase and Comedy Late Night feature an exciting mix of nationally touring comedians and rising stars, giving audiences the chance to discover some of comedy’s freshest voices alongside the festival’s marquee performers.

Throughout the weekend, visitors can enjoy free outdoor block parties, live music and special programming inside the National Comedy Center, including exclusive experiences that explore the art and history of comedy. Guests can experience special archive encounters, attend presentations on comedy history, take guided museum tours, and participate in interactive workshops for kids and families—all designed to offer a deeper appreciation for the comedic craft.

The festival also features I Love Lucy celebration events, LucyTown tours, and themed lunches and dinners at Ricky Ricardo’s Tropicana Club, the re-creation of the iconic nightclub from I Love Lucy.

“We’ve built this festival to offer something for every kind of comedy fan,” Livermore added. “From nationally touring headliners to the stand-up showcases featuring a wide range of distinct comedic voices, along with late-night shows, block parties and special events throughout the city—audiences can experience comedy in multiple ways across the entire weekend.”

The National Comedy Center and Lucy Desi Museum will be open for visitors throughout the weekend to explore immersive exhibits celebrating comedy’s greatest performers, television shows and cultural moments while experiencing the story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in the city where it all began.

Over its 35-year history, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival has welcomed generations of comedy’s biggest stars to Jamestown, including Jon Stewart, Bill Murray, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Nate Bargatze, Trevor Noah, Jim Gaffigan, Taylor Tomlinson, Sebastian Maniscalco, Amy Schumer, Gabriel Iglesias, Jeff Foxworthy, Brian Regan, Joan Rivers, Lewis Black, The Smothers Brothers and many more. This year’s lineup continues that tradition with three of today’s most accomplished and influential comedians, reaffirming Jamestown’s place as one of America’s premier destinations for the art of comedy.

See the full festival schedule, get tickets for all festival events, and purchase museum admission at ComedyCenter.org/festival.

The archetypal “Hero’s Journey” typically starts in the hero’s hometown and leads to a faraway place. Journey Gunderson, Executive Director of the National Comedy Center, started her journey here in Chautauqua County, traveled to a faraway place, but returned to bring the adventures—and the laughs—home with her. Gunderson, a Chautauqua County native, counts herself lucky to have had the chance to follow alongside the legacies of two incredible women.

“I’ve had the privilege of working for two incredible women visionaries,” Gunderson said. “Before this, I was working in New York City for Billie Jean King’s Women’s Sports Foundation, and then to work on the vision of Lucille Ball to transform her hometown into a destination that would celebrate the art form she built her life around. It all makes me feel really fortunate and humbled.”

Gunderson, while always a fan of comedy, hadn’t quite pictured herself immersed in it on a daily basis. However, she said she looks back on her teenage years and can see threads of it throughout her youth.

“I never imagined working in comedy, but looking back, I read both of Peter Farrelly’s novels when I was 17. And even when I was in sports, I loved those who mixed it with humor, like Rick Reilly,” said Gunderson. “I’ve always appreciated and valued good comedy. Now I get to study and celebrate it, or help others study and celebrate it.”

Gunderson was hired by the National Comedy Center’s Board of Directors, led by Tom Benson, in 2011, to help bring the comedic institution into being.

“They described that this was the time Jamestown was really going to focus on making this whole concept a reality,” she said. “It was daunting, but everybody involved was in it for the right reasons and rolled up their sleeves to work together to make it happen. It was a team effort, and it was a community effort.”

All jokes aside, the center has taken its mission to preserve and honor comedic history. The center has collaborated with numerous artists and estates to preserve various materials from comedy greats such as George Carlin, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Lenny Bruce and more. Gunderson said at the start of the center, the hope was for it to be “a Smithsonian of Comedy,” and that hope has been realized this year in a new endeavor with the incredible institution.

“In 2026, we released a book in partnership with the Smithsonian called ‘Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History,’” she said. “It feels great to have achieved the most esoteric part of this: the credibility, the authenticity and the role as a national preservation institution.”

In the years since, the Center has carried on the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, now in its 35th year. The festival has featured stars including Jerry Seinfeld, Trevor Noah, John Mulaney, Lily Tomlin, Amy Schumer, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Taylor Tomlinson and Jim Gaffigan. This year’s festival, slated for Aug. 6 to Aug. 9, has a line-up sure to provide ample laughs throughout the community, including headliners Jerry Seinfeld, Bert Kreischer and Seth Meyers.

Behind the scenes, Gunderson and her team are dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s to make sure this season’s festival is a barrel of laughs from start to finish.

“There is very much no typical day. Right now, it’s advancing details with the teams from Seth Meyers, Bert Kreischer, Jerry Seinfeld and more,” Gunderson said.

Asked what her favorite part of the entire process is, Gunderson didn’t hesitate to say she enjoys sharing the National Comedy Center with the talented performers who come for the festival.

“Touring artists through the museum is the greatest part,” she said. “They often have the same general feeling, which Jon Stewart put into words: ‘No one’s ever done this for us before. No one’s done this for comedy.’”

Gunderson said one thing sets the festival apart: seeing today’s biggest comedians up close.

“When you see a Bert Kreischer or Seth Meyers in Jamestown, you’re in a 2,000-seat venue, not a 20,000-seat venue, which is a special experience, especially considering that Seth Meyers is a current late-night host who broadcasts to millions of people every night, and Bert Kreischer has multiple Netflix specials and his own series, in addition to a podcast audience of millions,” she said. “So seeing these artists in Jamestown, right next to the National Museum and Archive, is an experience you cannot find anywhere else in the world.”

Gunderson said Bert Kreischer and Seth Meyers offer the audience comedy that they can relate to on a personal level, wherever they’re at in life.

“If you watch Seth Meyers’ stand-up specials, they are stories and experiences that everyone can relate to. He and Bert Kreischer take the everyday experience of being a parent and turn it into amazing comedy,” she said. “I think anyone attending these shows will leave feeling like they saw some of the greatest comedic talent in a generation. There is no replacement for seeing live comedy and being in the room. Period.”

Gunderson’s journey led her home and back again, bringing with her a heart for comedy, dedication to its preservation and a great deal of pride in the community. Gunderson said the National Comedy Center is what Chautauqua County, including Jamestown, worked hard for and it is well-deserved.

“We came together as a community to make it happen, to raise more than $50 million to pull it off and to do something that no one else prior to us, anywhere in the nation, has ever done for comedy,” she said. “And, it was the idea of our hometown girl, Lucille Ball. So we made it happen.”

To buy tickets or find out more about the National Comedy Center and the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, visit www.comedycenter.org.