Comedy Shows in New York, NY

New York is where stand-up lives. On any given night the city runs more comedy shows than most states do in a month, from basement showcases in Greenwich Village to sold-out arena dates at Madison Square Garden, and the calendar above is the confirmed, ticketed slice of it: every upcoming theater, arena, and Ticketmaster- or SeatGeek-listed club date in Manhattan, updated every six hours. Brooklyn shows are listed separately on the Brooklyn comedy page.

The club circuit is the city's engine. The Comedy Cellar on MacDougal Street is the most famous showcase room in the world, running rotating lineups several times a night across its original basement, the Village Underground, and the Fat Black Pussycat lounge, with unannounced drop-ins from the biggest names in the business. Gotham Comedy Club in Chelsea is the polished big room for full headliner sets; New York Comedy Club (East Village and Midtown) and The Stand near Union Square run showcase and headliner nights with deep benches of working comics. Most of these clubs sell through their own reservation systems with a cover charge and a two-item minimum, which is why some of them do not appear in the ticketed listings above — use the club guides below for how each one works.

When a comedian outgrows the clubs, the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side is the next stop: Jerry Seinfeld plays it regularly, John Mulaney has run multi-night stands there, and the Beacon is often the single busiest comedy venue on this calendar. Town Hall and Carnegie Hall host the theater-scale names who want a Midtown room with history; Radio City Music Hall takes the biggest theater tours; and arena-level comedians such as Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart play Madison Square Garden. Downtown, the Gramercy Theatre, Webster Hall, and the Bowery Ballroom pick up mid-size and alternative comedy tours, and Joe's Pub at the Public Theater books intimate runs by established names.

The best week of the year to be here is early November, when the New York Comedy Festival spreads hundreds of shows across the city's clubs and theaters and the biggest touring comedians route their fall dates through town. Outside the festival, fall and winter are the busiest seasons on this calendar; summer thins out as comedians head to festivals elsewhere, though the clubs never slow down.

Practical tips: theater and arena dates sell reserved seats through Ticketmaster and SeatGeek, which is where the ticket links above point, and the biggest shows sell out in the presale window — follow a comedian's page on StandUpdates to see new dates the day they post. Club shows are general admission, so arrive early for a good seat, and expect weekend prime-time slots at the Cellar and Gotham to be booked days ahead. Looking for something tonight? Use the comedy tonight and this weekend pages, or browse all New York State comedy shows by city.