Comedy in New York often feels like a series of closed doors, but for seven years, the Asian Comedy Fest has functioned as a wide-open window. The festival returns to Manhattan from May 5 to May 7, taking over Sugar Mouse, an Asian-owned lounge that will host six curated shows. More than 70 Asian and Pacific Islander performers are on the bill. It is the longest-running international festival of its kind.
The timing is significant. As the visibility of AAPI voices grows in mainstream media, this festival provides the groundwork. It is an event built by the community it represents. The lineup includes names like Aaron Chen, Youngmi Mayer, and Michael Cruz Kayne, alongside the group Asian AF.
A variety of styles beyond stand-up
This year, the programming moves beyond traditional microphone-and-brick-wall sets. You will find puppetry, musical comedy, and clowning. Almost half of the performers are new to the event, having been pulled from a pool of nearly 200 submissions.
Read more: Asian Comedy Fest: A Force for Change and Laughter in AAPI Representation
Kate Lee Moran, a co-producer of the festival, sees this growth as a reflection of the current moment. “For our 7th year, we really wanted to double down on what makes Asian Comedy Fest special, uplifting rising stars, celebrating our community, and giving back,” Moran said. “I’m especially excited about the range of talent this year, from stand-up to more alt comedy like clowning, characters, music, and improv. We had another record-breaking year of submissions, which speaks to how much the AAPI comedy scene continues to grow. Almost half of this year’s lineup is new to the fest, and we can’t wait for audiences to discover them.”
Supporting the neighborhood
The festival maintains a connection to its physical surroundings in the city. This year, proceeds benefit Immigration Social Services (ISS), a group that has worked in Chinatown and the Lower East Side for five decades. ISS runs programs for youth and families, linking different generations of immigrants in the area.
The exchange between established veterans and newcomers is what defines the three-day run. Edward Yoo Pokropski, the festival’s executive producer, values this specific mix of people.
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“The thing that makes Asian Comedy Fest great is seeing all the new talent coming from all different parts of the country,” Pokropski said. “We also love having our strongest performers who have been advocates of the fest since the beginning return. It becomes a real exchange of styles, ideas, and experiences from all the performers involved. I also love how we are always expanding the styles of comedy we program. Our variety show night mixes improv, clowning, puppeteering and more, which shows how vast the AAPI comedy scene really is.”
Event details and attendance
Shows begin at 7 PM and 9 PM each night. You can buy a single ticket for $30 or a pass for the full night for $50.
You can purchase tickets and find the full lineup here
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