Catskills Comedy Festival: A three-day laugh-a-thon

CATSKILL―So, a guy walks into a Greene County Legislature meeting the other night wanting to ask for cash for some kind of comedy show or whatever, and figures his chances are slimmer than Slim Whitman.

“They had just been having an intense debate about something and then I was told it was my turn to talk,” says Robbie Chafitz, the co-creator and organizer of the third annual Catskills Comedy Festival.

The event runs October 16-18 in multiple venues in Catskill, within easy strolling distance of each other, drawing top-drawer talent such as Bobcat Goldthwait and Colin Quinn the previous two years.

It has now blossomed into a non-profit entity with proceeds from the festival hosting free comedy workshops, classes, and events for local up-and-comers such as kids open mic and workshop for ages 7-14.

“We turn Catskill into one big comedy club for a weekend,” says Chafitz, a filmmaker who lives in the county seat.

“You can walk from a sold-out theatre show on Main Street, to a late set at a nearby bar in five minutes, and the next morning your kid can get on stage for the first time,” he added.

"Our mission is simple: bring world-class comedy to the Catskills and make it accessible to everyone,” says Chafitz, also speaking for co-founder Stephan Bradicich.

Simple enough but it is anything but simple, putting together a three-day laugh riot which took him to the legislature, seeking exploding cigars.

Not really. He was hoping for financial support but talk about bad timing―it was like the first guy stepping into the ring with Mike Tyson.

Lawmakers “had just got done with a big, very serious debate about something and the room got pretty quiet,” Chafitz says, smiling.

“It was a tough act to follow so I just went for it. I said, ‘And now, the comedy festival is going to ask for money! Luckily, they laughed,” Chafitz says.

The Comedy Festival received $3,000 through a legislative resolution, stating the county and its tourism department, “supports initiatives that strengthen economic development and tourism.”

The festival “brings people here and gets them to stay here,” said Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger, with the resolution noting there were approximately 1,200 attendees last year.

County dollars will be used for, “essential non‑personnel marketing assets, promotional signage and staging leases,” the resolution states.

“This is purely a labor of love,” says Chafitz, originally from Maryland, serendipitously discovering the Catskills, wishing to pass them on.

This year's headlining talent and featured performers include:

Jared Freid & Tina Friml — Saturday Night Headliners

Freid headlines the Saturday MainStage show at the Community Theatre. His Netflix special Jared Freid: 37 & Single premiered in 2023 and climbed into the platform’s Top 10 most-watched shows in the US and Canada. A New York-based stand-up known for his takes on modern dating and relationships, he has performed on The Tonight Show, was named one of Just For Laughs’ New Faces in 2017, hosts The JTrain Podcast and co-hosts U Up? He is joined by Tina Friml, named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2024 and featured in the 2025 CBS Diversity Showcase. The Vermont-raised comic has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, The Drew Barrymore Show and the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, and is a leading voice for authentic disability representation in mainstream comedy.

Ophira Eisenberg — Host, Storyteller & Stand-Up

Eisenberg opens the festival as host of the Friday Kick-Off show. She hosted NPR’s national trivia comedy show Ask Me Another for nine seasons, tours regularly with The Moth Mainstage and hosts the Webby-nominated podcast Parenting Is A Joke. Her credits include Comedy Central, HBO, CBS and The Late Late Show, and a new stand-up special produced by Lewis Black’s Stark Raving Black Productions arriving in 2026.

• Sean Patton — New Orleans-bred, New York-based stand-up with specials on Comedy Central and Peacock; co-star of FX’s English Teacher, with credits including Hacks, Maron and Inside Amy Schumer.

• John Hill — Actor, singer and SiriusXM personality who co-hosts Andy Cohen Live and hosts The John Hill Show; currently touring his original musical comedy show Silk and Loose!

• Jocelyn Chia — Singapore-raised, Georgetown Law-trained attorney turned stand-up. She made her TV debut on AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, has guested on SiriusXM’s Howard Stern Channel and hosted on MTV, and has been profiled by Vulture, Forbes and the South China Morning Post.

• Raanan Hershberg — Louisville-raised, New York-based comic seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden and Comedy Central. His special landed on The New York Times’ best comedy of 2022 list, and his albums include Jokes from the Underground.

• Nico Carney — Brooklyn-based stand-up, writer and actor from Savannah, Georgia. He made his late-night debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2024, was named one of Vulture’s Comedians You Should and Will Know, and one of Deadline’s Future of Funny comics ready to break out in 2025.

• Peter Peter — Ringmaster of 'A Schticky Situation,' a variety showcase of burlesque, circus and alt-comedy oddballs.

• Erin Harkes — Capital Region favorite and 2020 Thomas Edison Award winner, repeatedly voted Best Comedian and Best Singer/Songwriter in the region. She leads the beloved Grapes of Laughs showcase.

• Havana Club — Improv collective bringing high-energy, spontaneous comedy to the festival stage.

• Alex English — Detroit-born stand-up and three-time Emmy-nominated Saturday Night Live writer, also a writer on The Rundown with Robin Thede and The Fix. Vulture named him one of 2022’s Comedians You Should and Will Know.

• Sarah Austin Jenness — Executive producer at The Moth since 2005 and a host of the Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour, who launched The Moth’s Global Community Program. She moderates the Saturday comedy panel, Crossing the Line.

“Laughing brings everybody together,” says Chafitz, noting the scheduled venues include:

- Catskill Community Theatre (373 Main Street) — home to the festival's opening-night kickoff and to showcases like Squalid Gold.

- Bridge Street Theatre (44 West Bridge Street) — panels, showcases, and student workshop performances.

- The Avalon Lounge (29 Church Street) — the room where it all started, now home to Local Laughs and the festival's improv bookings.

- Left Bank Ciders (150 Water Street) — smaller, workshop-style programming for people who want to try material in front of a live room.

- Foreland (111 Water Street) — additional stage space in its Bookhouse event area.

“Growing up, I was one of those kids who wasn’t into sports and video games. I found my place with theater and comedy,” Chafitz says. “When I initially came to the Catskills, I loved the energy, the people, the diversity. Now, I want to give back to the youth. Maybe a kid can find a place they didn’t know was there.”

Tickets, the full lineup and a downloadable schedule are available at tccfest.org. Several events are free and open to the public.