Laughs Under the Moontower

Austin's Moontower fest starts lineup with Marc Maron, Kathy Griffin

Marc Maron is a headliner at the 2026 Moontower Comedy Festival.

Photo by by Rachel Parker

Austin is nationally known as a comedy hotspot and frankly, its comedic identity is all over the place. One massive festival brings it all together: the Moontower Comedy Festival will offer something for just about everyone from April 8-19, 2026, at more than 10 venues. Every year, the lineup is announced in waves, and this year's first wave of 75 performers is out now.

A press release promises "stand-up sets, unhinged podcast recordings, musical comedy, and sketch madness[, plus] midnight hangs after whatever brilliance the comics cooked up that night." This is the festival's 14th year, and even if comedy lovers haven't attended, they've likely seen clips or heard comedians reference running into each other in Austin during its run.

There are tons of ways to introduce and organize this long list of comics, but the most important delineations are headliners, Club Series performers, and locals. Headliners are as described: well-known comics who lots of people are going to want to see. Anyone can purchase tickets to a headlining show. The Club Series offers a four-day comedy buffet for badge-holders April 15-18, with more than 100 comics within walking distance downtown.

Local acts so far include the following comics: Andrew Murphy, Angelina Martin, Caleb Elliott, Carlton Wilcoxson, Danny Goodwin, Dylan Carlino, Fast Ronald, Genivive Clinton, Jon Carden, Kandace Medina, Katie Felton, Lukas McCrary, Mathew Mitchell, Mimi Meier, Pat Dean, Rafael Cruz, Roxy Castillo, and 2025’s Funniest Person in Austin winner JJ Curry.

The rest of the lineup so far is as follows, with headliners bolded:

Aidan McCluskey
An Evening with Albert Brooks
Andrea Popova
Andrew Murphy
Andy Huggins
Angelina Martin
Beth Stelling
Brad Williams
Brendan Sagalow
Caleb Elliott
Carlton Wilcoxson
Caroline Rhea
Cristela Alonzo
Danny Goodwin
Debra DiGiovanni
Doug Benson
Drew Dunn
Dvontre Coleman
Dylan Adler
Dylan Carlino
Emil Wakim
Emily Wilson
Fast Ronald
Genivive Clinton
God Damn Comedy Jam
Greg Warren
Hassan Phills
Ivan Decker
Jason Sklar
Jay Jurden
Jeff Arcuri
Jeremiah Watkins
Jesus Sepulveda
JJ Curry
Joe Dombrowsky
John Goblikon
Jon Carden
Jon Rudnitsky
Josh Adam Meyers
Kandace Medina
Katherine Blanford
Kathy Griffin
Katie Boyle
Katie Felton
Keegan Tindall
Leslie Jones
Lukas McCrary
Maggie Winters
Marc Maron
Marie Faustin
Mathew Mitchell
Matt Braunger
Mike Falzone
Mike Feeney
Mike Vecchione
Mimi Meier
Nick Murphy
Nish Kumar
Off Book - The Improvised Musical
Pat Dean
Pat Regan
Pink Foxx
Rafael Cruz
Randy Sklar
René Vaca
Ricci Armani
Roxy Castillo
Shane Torres
Shxts N Gigs
Sydnee Washington
Tom Rhodes
Val Parker
Vince Caldera
Vir Das
Zach Zucker
Zachariah Porter

Even though anyone will be able to attend headliner shows, a badge helps by giving pre-sale access. The festival is also running a "Bestie Badge promo" that offers $25 off each badge in a group of two or more. Headliner pre-sales run from Tuesday, November 11, to Wednesday, November 12. The rest will go on sale to the general public Thursday, November 13. More lineup announcements will be made in the coming months.

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Concert News

Weird Al Yankovic unleashes massive 2026 tour with stop in Austin

Photo courtesy of "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al" Yankovic will play at Moody Center on September 22, 2026.

Legendary comedy singer “Weird Al” Yankovic will return to the road in 2026 with a massive extension of his already huge Bigger and Weirder Tour, which will include a stop at Austin's Moody Center on Tuesday, September 22.

The 90-city (yes, 9-0) slate of dates in 2026 follows up 75 performances Yankovic put on in 2025, which included stops in Fort Worth, The Woodlands, and Grand Prairie.

This time, he'll start things off on May 26 in Hollywood, Florida, staying on the road for almost six months through October 17. Austin fans will get a double dip, as Yankovic visited once in the first leg, too.

The tour features the singer's celebrated hits alongside deep-cut fan favorites. It also includes a giant video wall, multiple costume changes, and an eight-piece ensemble featuring Al’s original band for a super-sized comedy-rock spectacle.

The 66-year-old singer is most well-known for albums he put out in the 1980s and '90s, but he's stayed relevant thanks to four 21st-century releases, most recently Mandatory Fun in 2014, which ended up as the only No. 1 album of his career.

Yankovic's hits include “Amish Paradise,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Word Crimes,” and “White & Nerdy.” He has received five Grammy awards and 17 career nominations, and is one of only three artists to chart in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the previous four consecutive decades ('80s, '90s, 2000s, and 2010s).

He also was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, and an Emmy Award for the 2022 release WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story starring Daniel Radcliffe.

The artist presale for the 2026 dates starts on Wednesday, November 18, at weirdal.com/tour, with the public on-sale beginning on Friday, November 21, at 10 am.

BIGGER & WEIRDER 2026 Tour Dates

May 26 Hollywood (Miami), FL Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hotel and Casino
May 27 Estero (Ft. Myers), FL Hertz Arena
May 29 Orlando, FL Kia Center
May 30 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
May 31 Alpharetta (Atlanta), GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
June 2 Augusta, GA Bell Auditorium
June 3 Savannah, GA Enmarket Arena
June 5 Greensboro, NC First Horizon Coliseum
June 6 Charleston, WV Charleston Coliseum
June 7 Norfolk, VA Chartway Arena
June 9 Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum
June 10 Pikeville, KY Appalachian Wireless Arena
June 12 Camdenton (Lake of the Ozarks), MO Ozarks Amphitheater
June 13 TBA
June 14 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
June 16 Evansville, IN Ford Center
June 17 Springfield, MO Great Southern Bank Arena
June 19 Riverside (Kansas City), MO MORTON Amphitheater
June 20 Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena
June 21 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
June 23 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 24 Rapid City, SD Summit Arena
June 26 Duluth, MN AMSOIL Arena
June 27 Chicago, IL United Center
June 28 Omaha, NE Baxter Arena
June 30 Sioux Falls, SD Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
July 1 Cedar Rapids, IA Alliant Energy PowerHouse
July 3 Grand Rapids, MI Acrisure Amphitheater
July 4 Windsor (Detroit), ON The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
July 5 Niagara Falls, ON OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
July 7 Saginaw, MI Dow Event Center
July 8 Erie, PA Erie Insurance Arena
July 10 Syracuse, NY The Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
July 11 Belmont Park, NY UBS Arena
July 12 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 14 Providence, RI Providence Performing Arts Center
July 15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
July 17 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Event Center
July 18 Boston, MA TD Garden
July 19 Bangor, ME Maine Savings Amphitheater
July 21 Lenox, MA Tanglewood – Koussevitzky Music Shed
July 22 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion
July 24 Essex Junction (Burlington), VT Midway Lawn at Champlain Valley Expo
July 25 TBA
July 26 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
July 28 Bridgeport, CT Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
July 29 Harrington, DE Delaware Lottery Summer Concert Series at the Delaware State Fair
July 31 Hershey, PA GIANT Center
August 1 Burgettstown (Pittsburgh), PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
August 2 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 4 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest
August 5 Columbus, OH Ohio State Fair Concert Series
August 6 Noblesville (Indianapolis), IN Ruoff Music Center
August 28 St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Concert Series
August 29 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center
August 30 Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre
Sept 1 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
Sept 2 Kelowna, BC Prospera Place
Sept 3 TBA
Sept 5 Puyallup (Seattle), WA Columbia Bank Concert Series at the Washington State Fair
Sept 6 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Sept 7 Salem (Portland), OR Columbia Bank Concert Series at the Oregon State Fair
Sept 9 Central Point (Medford), OR Bi-Mart Amphitheater
Sept 11 Lincoln (Sacramento), CA The Venue at Thunder Valley Casino Resort
Sept 12 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
Sept 13 Palm Desert, CA Acrisure Arena
Sept 15 Paso Robles, CA Viña Robles Amphitheatre
Sept 16 San Diego, CA The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
Sept 18 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sept 19 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
Sept 20 Tucson, AZ Tucson Arena
Sept 22 Austin, TX Moody Center
Sept 23 Baton Rouge, LA Raising Cane’s River Center Arena
Sept 25 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
Sept 26 Southaven (Memphis, TN), MS Landers Center
Sept 27 Knoxville, TN Food City Center
Sept 29 Auburn, AL The Gogue Center
Sept 30 Tallahassee, FL Donald L. Tucker Civic Center
Oct 2 Birmingham, AL Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Oct 3 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf Amphitheater
Oct 4 Brandon (Jackson), MS Brandon Amphitheater
Oct 6 Chattanooga, TN Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium
Oct 7 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center
Oct 8 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
Oct 10 Toledo, OH Huntington Center
Oct 11 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center
Oct 13 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Arena
Oct 15 Fort Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Oct 16 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
Oct 17 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum

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