Black Comedy Fest

Black Comedy Fest runs from October 9 to 11 across the 18th & Vine and Crossroads districts, with The Gem Theater as its home base. It's a three-day stretch of improv, stand-up, and sketch that puts Black voices and Black joy at the center. It's currently the only comedy festival in Missouri that does exactly that, and it spreads across a handful of venues: The Gem Theater, Our Spot KC, Vine Street Brewing, Keystone Innovation District, Lifted Spirits Distillery, Outsiders Social Club, Velvet Freeze, and The Bird Comedy Theater.

On the stage, you'll find Moneisha Williams from right here in KCMO, Damilola Apotieri coming in from Nigeria, and Talia Clay from Chicago. There's also a special panel called 'Winning With Laughter,' hosted by Brent Darden and featuring Nick Nichols from St. Louis. The festival mixes the different forms of comedy—improv, stand-up, and sketch—rather than sticking to just one.

If you want to get involved beyond watching, there are workshops on the first two days. On Friday, October 9, you can catch Comedy & Creative Writing from 1 PM to 3 PM and Reparations on the Move from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM. On Saturday, October 10, the Playprov Ensemble runs from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Between the shows and the workshops, the whole thing is scattered across the 18th & Vine and Crossroads districts, so it's as much about the neighborhoods as it is about the comedy.

Kansas City native Hilari Holt started the festival after her own experience as an improv performer. She'd grown tired of seeing Black comedic performers relegated to the background or booked as the only Black act at a festival, and she wanted to build a comedic melting pot that brought stand-up, sketch, and improv together in one place. She also wanted to draw in Black audiences, who she felt were often underrepresented at improv shows. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door, and all events are cashless.