The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), in association with Comedy Central, announced the addition of more than 60 shows to its 2016 line-up. The festival, in its 13^th year, runs from November 1^st through November 6^th and will take place at some of New York City’s most iconic venues including 92Y, the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, the Beacon Theater, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, and NYU Skirball Center and Town Hall.

Newly announced to the lineup are comedians Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman who will bring their popular comedy show BIG TERRIFIC to the NYCF this year on Saturday, November 5^th at Bric House in Brooklyn. JAY PHAROAH will entertain audiences with his rapid-fire impressions on Saturday, November 5th at The Gramercy. HARMONTOWN LIVE WITH DAN HARMON will also come to The Gramercy on Sunday, November 6th.

In addition to comedy performances each year the festival focuses on programming insightful and thought-provoking panels. These panel discussions provide audiences with insight to the creative process and a look at the team behind-the-scenes.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is the 2015 Emmy^®-nominated breakout sitcom created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. The series follows a woman adjusting to life in New York City after being held in an underground bunker for 15 years. The festival is proud to present A CONVERSATION WITH THE WRITERS OF THE UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, which will feature the writers of the show including Fey, Carlock, Sam Means, Dan Rubin, Leila Strachan, Azie Dungey, Meredith Scardino and Lauren Gurganous. The panel will be moderated by Damian Holbrook and will take place on Saturday, November 5 at 1:00PM at the 92Y.

The festival and Comedy Central will once again present “Comics to Watch” for the seventh year. “Comics to Watch” is an annual showcase featuring a wide range of diversely talented young comedians selected by Comedy Central and NYCF organizers who work closely together to identify the best new stand-up and sketch comedians from multiple cities across the country in an effort to help launch the careers of the next generation of comedians by putting them in front of industry executives and comedy fans.

Back for its ninth consecutive year is the festival’s popular NEW YORK’S FUNNIEST STAND-UP competition, which is open to any and all performers who think they have what it takes to be called “New York’s Funniest.” Past winners have included Saturday Night Live star Michael Che, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore former correspondent Ricky Velez and Last Comic Standing’s Joe Machi, among others.

“It’s more important now than ever to laugh. That’s exactly what the New York Comedy Festival is about, and the newest additions to this year’s line-up ensure there is something for every audience member,” said Caroline Hirsch, founder and owner of the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway. “We look forward every year not only to our stand-up performances but also our panel discussions, which continue to be as informative and engaging as they are funny.”

Previously announced comedians as part of the 2016 lineup include the tenth annual Stand Up for Heroes, Eric André, Fred Armisen, Anthony Atamanuik, Hannibal Buress, Dane Cook, Chris D’Elia, Cameron Esposito, Bridget Everett, Hari Kondabolu, Bill Maher, Marc Maron, T.J. Miller, Tim Minchin, Hasan Minhaj, Tracy Morgan, Trevor Noah, Tig Notaro and Patton Oswalt.

For a complete list of all the newly announced shows and to purchase tickets to the festival, visit: www.nycomedyfestival.com.

The 2016 NYCF is presented in association with Comedy Central. The festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway. Sponsors of the festival include Citi, New York Magazine, the New York Post, SiriusXM Radio, Taco Bell^®, Variety and Vulture.

Like the NYCF’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/newyorkcomedyfestival; and follow the festival on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nycomedyfest and Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nycomedyfest with the hashtag #MakeNYLaugh.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL

Now in its thirteenth year, the New York Comedy Festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway in association with Comedy Central. The festival has featured the country’s top comedians, including Aziz Ansari, Judd Apatow, Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Margaret Cho, Billy Crystal, Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Kathy Griffin, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Norm Macdonald, Bill Maher, Tig Notaro, Nick Offerman, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, and Wanda Sykes, to name a few. In 2007, the festival launched the “Stand Up for Heroes” event to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which has featured performances by Ricky Gervais, John Mayer, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Conan O’Brien, Ray Romano, Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, and Robin Williams, among others. To date, the “Stand Up for Heroes” events have raised over $33 million. For more information please visit the NYCF website, like the NYCF Facebook page, and follow the NYCF on Twitter, @NYComedyFest. This year the festival has a new hashtag — #MakeNYLaugh — for use in all of its social media platforms.

ABOUT COMEDY CENTRAL

Available on-air, online and on-the-go, Comedy Central (www.cc.com) is the #1 brand in comedy and is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIAB). For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Comedy Central’s press Web site at press.cc.com and follow us on Twitter @ComedyCentralPR for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.