Comedy Out of Bounds

Out of Bounds Fest's 2014 lineup boasts big-name comics from across the globe

Another local festival of laughs is on the horizon, promising a wild week of comedy hijinks.

On Tuesday morning, the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival announced the lineup for its 13th annual festival, taking place August 26 – September 1. The festival will feature more than 500 performers — including some of the best talent in improv, sketch and stand-up comedy from across the globe — in 130 shows across Austin.

Among this year’s headliners are the team of writers behind the critically acclaimed Comedy Central sketch show Key & Peele, including writers Rich Talarico, Rebecca Drysdale, Colton Dunn and Charles Sanders performing sketch comedy.

Also on tap are more comedians with extensive television experience, such as Mo Collins of MADtv and Parks and Recreation, Paul Brittain of Saturday Night Live, Lauren Lapkus of Orange is the New Black, Matt Jones of Breaking Bad and The Office, and Maribeth Monroe of Workaholics.

And when we say talent from across the globe, we mean it. This year’s international talent includes comedian Jon Gnarr, the mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland, and comedy troupe Parisian Gentlemen of Paris.

The breadth of performers is what Out of Bounds founder and executive producer Jeremy Sweetlamb says sets this festival apart. “From the gender-bending stand-up comedian mayor of a foreign capital city to our own award-winning Key & Peele writing staff, we’ll be bringing some awesome comedy from all disciplines and corners of the globe, as well as presenting the best performers Austin has to offer, too,” Sweetlamb says.

Guests can catch comedic performances in 10 different venues across Central Austin, including Stateside at the Paramount, The Long Center, Spider House Ballroom, The Hideout Theater, Velveeta Room, ColdTowne Theater, The Institution Theater and The New Movement.

Festival badges ($109) go on sale Tuesday, July 1 at 10 am and will be available online. Tickets to individual shows will go on sale later this summer.

Saturday Night Live alum Paul Brittain heads to Austin for Out of Bounds.

Photo courtesy of os-up.com

Saturday Night Live alum Paul Brittain heads to Austin for Out of Bounds.

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High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

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