We combed the internet for comedy festivals that have open submissions during the month of September so you don't have to! We have improv, stand-up, sketch and more covered below! Just click the names of the festivals to follow their link! We'll be updating throughout the month as new info comes in so be sure to check back!
Stand-Up
Meadowlands Comedy Festival (Secaucus, NJ) - Cheaper fee ends Sept. 2nd, overall Mar. 1st (show dates last week of April)
Memphis Urban Laughs Comedy Festival - Deadline Sept. 7th (show dates Oct. 31-Nov. 3)
SLO Comedy Festival (San Luis Obispo, CA) - Cheapest fee ends Sept. 30th, deadline Jan. 6th (show dates Feb. 27-Mar. 2)
The Ladies Room Comedy Fest (New York City) - Cheaper fee ends Sept. 15th, overall Oct. 16th (show dates Nov. 9-10)
Blue Ridge Comedy Festival (Bristol, TN) - Deadline Sept. 30th (show dates Dec. 9-14)
Halifax Comedy Festival (Nova Scotia) - Deadline Sept. 30th (show dates May 7-10, 2025)
FunnyFest Comedy Festival (Calgary) - Opening Sept. 5th, more info to come (show dates May 29-June8)
Coney Island Comedy Festival (Brooklyn, NYC) - Deadline Oct. 1st (show dates in October)
Windsor Comedy Festival (Ontario) - Deadline Oct. 20th (live finale show Dec. 27th)
West End Comedy Fest (Atlanta) - Deadline Nov. 1st (show dates Mar. 7-9)
Bergamot Comedy Festival (Santa Monica, CA) - Deadline Dec. 31st (show dates Mar. 31-Apr. 5)
Stand-Up/Themed Show
Leicester Comedy Festival - Deadline Sept. 27th (show dates Feb. 5-23)
Fringe
Adelaide Fringe (AU.) - Grant deadline Sept. 10th, registration deadline Oct. 30th (show dates Feb. 21-Mar. 23)
Fringe World (Perth, AU.) - ARTRAGE deadline Sept. 13th, program deadline Oct. 24th (show dates Jan. 17-Feb. 16)
Stand-Up/Video Sketch/Musical Comedy
Vermont Comedy Festival - Deadline Sept. 15th (show dates Dec. 5-8))
Stand-Up/Musical Comedy/Storytelling
Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest (NYC) - Deadline Sept. 30th (show dates Feb. 26-Mar. 2)
Feature & Short Film/TV Project/XR Experience/Music Video
SXSW (Austin, TX) - 1st deadline Aug. 27th, overall Oct. 2nd (show dates Mar. 7-15)
Feature & Short Film/Series/Music Video/Video Games/Audio Storytelling
Tribeca Film Festival (NYC) - Multiple deadlines, overall Feb. 12th (show dates June 4-15)
Stand-Up/Sketch/Film/Series/Music Video/Screenplay
Portland Comedy Film Festival (Portland, OR) - Early Bird ends Sept. 30th, overall Dec. 31st (show dates Mar. 23)
Feature & Short Film/Pilot/Screenplay Short
Ha Ha Harvest Comedy and Film Festival (Portland, OR) - Late Fee ends Sept. 19th, overall Oct. 10 (show dates Nov. 20-24)
Stand-Up/Improv
ComedyFort (Boise, ID) - Deadline Nov. 24th (show dates Mar. 27-30)
Stand-Up/Improv/Musical/Podcast/Variety
The Riot Comedy Festival (Houston, TX) - Early Bird ends Sept. 15th, overall Dec. 15th (show dates Apr. 3-6)
Sketch
NYC Sketchfest - Deadline Sept. 10th (show dates Oct. 17-20)
Stand-Up/Improv/Sketch/Musical/Podcast/Solo Show/Short Comedic Plays/Alternative Comedy
SF Sketchfest (San Francisco) - Deadline Sept. 3rd (show dates Jan. 16-Feb. 2)
Stand-up/Improv/Sketch/Podcast/Storytelling/Variety/Talk Show
Louisiana Big Gator Comedy Festival (New Orleans) - Deadline Sept. 24th (show dates Dec. 12-14)
Stand-Up/Improv/Sketch/Alt Comedy
Glasgow International Comedy Festival - Multiple deadlines, 1st deadline Nov. 22 (show dates Mar. 12-30)
Improv
Ocean State Black & Funny Improv Festival (Wakefield, RI) - Individual deadline Sept. 7th (show dates Oct. 3-6)
Impro Amsterdam - Deadline Sept. 30th (show dates Feb. 15-22)
Improv Festivus (Richmond, VA) - Deadline Oct. 1st (show dates Dec. 12-14)
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Not Festivals, But Cool!
Play Series
Neurodivergent New Play Series (Brooklyn, NY) - Deadline after 100 submissions monthly
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