Record-Breaking Comedians Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias and Taylor Tomlinson Headline National Comedy Center's 2023 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival
The National Comedy Center, the nation's official museum and cultural institution dedicated to comedy, announced today that comedians Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias and Taylor Tomlinson will headline the 2023 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, August 2 through 6.
Tickets for these shows, along with many other festival comedy events including the festival's annual, popular-favorite, the Stand-Up Showcase, will go on pre-sale for National Comedy Center Members only ? starting Friday, May 12 at noon ET through Wednesday, May 17 at www.ComedyCenter.org. Public on-sale date will begin Friday, May 19 at noon ET.
Late Night comedy shows and Lucy legacy events will also go on sale at that time in an outstanding lineup that will celebrate comedy's contemporary stars, rising voices, and historic legacies. A free family variety and comedy event will also take place, as well as evening block parties featuring live music.
Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias, the top-selling comedian in the world in 2022, and one of the most-watched comedians on YouTube with over 1.1 billion views, will be performing on Thursday, August 3.
Iglesias continues to sell out venues around the world and has over 25 million fans on social media, his immense popularity uniquely spanning all age groups. He is one of an elite handful of comics to headline and sell out Madison Square Garden, The Staples Center and the Sydney Opera House and became the first comedian to perform at Dodger Stadium, selling 45,000 seats in 2022. Iglesias is the star and executive producer of the Netflix original comedy series Mr. Iglesias and numerous Netflix stand-up specials. He will be co-starring in the upcoming second season of the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses.
Taylor Tomlinson, who is currently breaking ticket sale records set by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, and selling out venues worldwide following her two highly acclaimed Netflix stand-up specials, will perform Friday, August 4, as part of her current "The Have It All" tour.
Tomlinson recently has had multi-show sellouts in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Dublin and more. In Boston, she eclipsed a mark previously set by Seinfeld with 14,000 tickets sold at the Bosh Center. Tomlinson was named the "Breakout Comedy Star of Year" in 2022 by Just for Laughs and Variety named her one of the "Top 10 Comics to Watch. TIME magazine selected her for its TIME100 Next list and Forbes named her to its "30 Under 30" Hollywood and Entertainment list.
Tomlinson's second Netflix special, Look at You, was recognized as the top comedy special of 2022 by The New York Times, Vulture and The Los Angeles Times. She has performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Mornings, and The Kelly Clarkson Show.
"I'm so excited to be a part of this summer's Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown, NY!" stated Taylor Tomlinson. "I can't wait to see you all at the National Comedy Center in August."
Both Iglesias' performance on August 3 and Tomlinson's performance August 4 will be held in Jamestown's Northwest Arena, adjacent to the National Comedy Center complex.
"The National Comedy Center is pleased to welcome these two comedy record-breakers: Gabriel Iglesias, who sold more tickets than any other stand-up artist last year ? and Taylor Tomlinson, who's selling out multitudes of shows around the world," stated Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center Executive Director. "It's fitting that National Comedy Center's festival will be headlined by both a legend of, and the future of, comedy. We are thrilled to have them."
The festival's popular Stand-Up Showcase, featuring some of the greatest comedic talent from around the country, will take center stage on Saturday, August 5. Comedy Late Night will take place nightly on Thursday, August 3 through Saturday, August 5. The festival will feature over 20 of the most popular artists currently performing in comedy clubs and appearing on late night television.
A free, family variety and comedy event will take place on Wednesday, August 2 featuring performer Nels Ross at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, followed by "Lucy Under the Stars" ? a free block party with a screening of classic I Love Lucy episodes presented on the jumbo screens in front of the National Comedy Center.
"Our festival will once again offer great comedy for everyone, from two of stand-up comedy's greatest stars, to the best emerging talent from around the country, to family comedy, block parties, and much more," stated Malachi Livermore, the National Comedy Center's Vice President of Programming and Guest Experiences. "We look forward to comedy fans from across the country experiencing everything that our festival has to offer."
To become a National Comedy Center Member in order to gain first access to available seats during the pre-sale ticket window, visit ComedyCenter.org/membership or call the National Comedy Center at 716.484.2222. Memberships start at $75 and provide year-round benefits including a "season pass" for visiting the acclaimed National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.
The acclaimed National Comedy Center and the Lucy Desi Museum are both welcoming visitors throughout the festival, including to the Comedy Center's new, multi-media exhibits Johnny Carson The Immersive Experience featuring Hologram Host Jimmy Fallon and Carl Reiner: Keep Laughing, as well as to the over 50 interactive experiences providing laughter for all ages ? the experience named one of TIME's "World's Greatest Places", USA Today's "Best New Museum", and U.S. News & World Report's "Top 25 Family Weekend Getaways." Advanced purchase of museum admission is recommended to avoid sellout. Admission tickets may be purchased while purchasing festival event tickets.
The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is presented by the National Comedy Center and embodies Lucille Ball's vision for her hometown, Jamestown, New York, to be a destination for the celebration of the comedic arts and to showcase new comedic talent from around the country. The festival attracts over 15,000 attendees annually from nearly every state in the country, who come together to share laughter while honoring the craft and contributors on stage at dozens of venues throughout Jamestown, including the National Comedy Center and the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum.
Now in its 33rd year, the festival has featured comedy's greatest stars and rising young comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Jay Leno, Sebastian Maniscalco, Amy Schumer, Brian Regan, Ellen DeGeneres, Lewis Black, W. Kamau Bell, Jim Gaffigan, Paula Poundstone, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, the Smothers Brothers. and more than one hundred other comedic artists. Last year's festival featured comedians Jeff Foxworthy, Margaret Cho and Saturday Night Live alumni David Spade, Kevin Nealon and Rob Schneider.
About the National Comedy Center
The National Comedy Center is the United States' official cultural institution and museum dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage for future generations, as formally designated by the U.S. Congress. Opened in 2018 in Jamestown, New York, the museum complex offers an unprecedented, immersive visitor experience using state-of-the-art technology, interactivity, and personalization.
USA Today named the National Comedy Center the "Best New Museum in the Country, TIME magazine named it one of its "World's Greatest Places," and U.S. News & World Report selected it as one of the "25 Top Family Weekend Getaways in the U.S.," while Condé Nast Traveler called the National Comedy Center "one of the best museums in the country," and People magazine named it one of "100 Reasons to Love America."
The National Comedy Center has been featured in The New York Times, on CBS Saturday Morning, CBS Sunday Morning and on NBC's TODAY Show, which called it "the Smithsonian of Comedy."
Visitors from all 50 states and eighteen countries have given the Center a rare 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor, ranking among the highest in the attraction and tourism industry.
Based on the vision of Jamestown native Lucille Ball for her hometown to become a destination for comedy, the non-profit National Comedy Center's mission is to provide education on the comedic arts in the form of commentary and contextualization of its bodies of work across all eras and genres of the art form.
The National Comedy Center opened in 2018 and has collaborated with dozens of artists and estates to preserve materials that represent comedy's significant artistic, social, and political contributions to American culture including collections illustrating the careers of legendary artists like George Carlin, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Carl Reiner, Betty White, Johnny Carson, Lenny Bruce, The Smothers Brothers, and the development of groundbreaking creative work such as sketch comedy series In Living Color, Saturday Night Live, and more.
Two new exhibits opened last summer ? Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, a multi-screen theater presentation celebrating Johnny Carson's 30 years hosting The Tonight Show 30 years later, and Carl Reiner: Keep Laughing, a multi-media, interactive exhibit that honors and celebrates Carl Reiner during his centennial year.
Within the Comedy Center's museum galleries, more than 50 interactive exhibits and immersive experiences employ cutting-edge technology to present the story of comedy from its origins to the present day ? using archival documents, artifacts, and media as their core. Its educational programming on the art form has featured George Lopez, Tiffany Haddish, Margaret Cho, Norman Lear, Debra Messing, Rain Pryor (daughter of Richard Pryor), Jay Leno, Kenan Thompson, Gabriel Iglesias, Ben Stiller, John Cleese, Jimmy Fallon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and many more.
The National Comedy Center operates the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, which explores the lives, careers, and legacy of the "First Couple of Comedy" and the incredible impact they had on the world, as well as the pioneering role and remarkable influence that I Love Lucy and Desilu Studios had on the entertainment industry for generations to come.
The National Comedy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural institution whose mission is funded by philanthropic support. Donations and grants support the museum and its work to present the vital story of comedy and preserve its heritage for future generations.
Stay connected to the National Comedy Center and Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum:
Websites: www.ComedyCenter.org | www.LucyDesi.com
Facebook: National Comedy Center | Facebook | Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum | Facebook
Twitter and Instagram: @ntlcomedycenter | @lucydesimuseum
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