| The Comedy Festival | |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Inaugurated | 1985 |
| Genre | Comedy festival |
| Website | thecomedyfestival.com |
The Comedy Festival, formerly known as the US Comedy Arts Festival, is a comedy festival held each year in Las Vegas, Nevada. From its 1985 inception to 2007, it was held annually at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colorado. The primary sponsor of the festival was HBO, with co-sponsorship by Caesars Palace (the primary venue), TBS, GEICO Insurance, Twix candy bars and Smirnoff Vodka. HBO exited the festival business in 2007 and TBS became the primary sponsor.
The festival includes stand-up comedy performances, appearances by the casts of television shows, and has a film component called the Film Discovery Program.[1]
In 2008, RooftopComedy.com and the opera house started a new festival based in Aspen, The Aspen RooftopComedy Festival.[2]