Milwaukee Comedy Logo

Kick off the old block

One measure of the progress the Milwaukee comedy scene has made since the first Milwaukee Comedy Festival in 2006 is how vast and varied the kickoff has become.

Even a couple of years ago, the kick off was little more than an improv jam the night before the fest started.

This year entails four full nights of shows featuring standup, improv and sketch comedy. It all begins on Thursday, July 25 with the Comedy Arcade Show followed by the Variety Hour Half-Hour, on Friday, July 26, and the Retro Comedy Night on Saturday, July 27, and a special Milwaukee Comedy Showcase on Wednesday, July 31 – aka Milwaukee Comedy Fest Eve.

Please click here for details on kick off events, including discount advance tickets. (Each of the events includes prizes. Maybe you’ll even win a ticket to the 8th Annual Milwaukee Comedy Festival, which runs Aug. 1-4.)

For more on how the local comedy scene has changed since the festival started, check out our Milwaukee Comedy video interview with Matt Kemple and Patrick Schmitz: