HA Festival of Comedy: Get Ready to Laugh Until Your Stomach Hurts!
If you’re looking for a good laugh, look no further than the HA Festival of Comedy, returning to San Antonio, Texas from September 17-19, 2021. Produced by New Cadence Productions and WarnerMedia, this festival showcases Latinx performers and aims to normalize their inclusion in the mainstream comedy scene. And with over 20 shows across five venues, you’re guaranteed to find something that tickles your funny bone.
The festival kicks off on Friday with a live panel and premiere screening of select clips from the upcoming HBO Max special, Comedy Chingonas, hosted by Carmen Lynch and Luz Pazos. If that’s not enough, you can head over to The Anacacho Room at the St. Anthony Hotel for Fresh Faces 2021, featuring some of the newest and freshest voices in comedy from around the country. Tickets for this show will be sold on Eventbrite.
Friday night will also include two Latino Comedy Showcases at comedy club Jokesters 22, featuring some of the biggest names in comedy like Danny Trejo, Carlos Santos, and Chingo Bling. And if you’re a night owl, stick around for the After Midnight open mic for comedians invited to the festival, held at The Anacacho at the St. Anthony.
Saturday is packed with even more comedy, including “The Garcias” Select Clips Premiere and Cast Panel at the Tobin Center Plaza, featuring members of the original cast of “The Brothers Garcia” who are back as “The Garcias” in the reboot for HBO Max. Later that evening, at the Tobin Center Plaza and Theater, is the inaugural Equal Footing Film Festival, featuring 10 short comedic films from diverse female filmmakers. This festival is free to the public and is one of the first ever all-female diverse film festivals, celebrating emerging female talent in the comedy genre.
Saturday night will include Comedy Chingonas 2021, hosted by comedian and Tik Tok star Carmen Lynch, featuring comics like Renee Santos and Luz Pazos. And at the Lila Cockrell Theatre, there will be a double billing, first Fresh Faces 2021, hosted by Emilio Rivera (Mayans MC and Sons of Anarchy star), and then a reunion of the top Fresh Faces from the 2020 HA Comedy Festival called Fresh Faces 2020 “On Their Way,” hosted by comedian Paul Rodriguez.
Sunday includes the announcement of the winners of the Equal Footing Film Festival and a replay of all films for the audience to enjoy at the Tobin Center Plaza. And if you want to catch some comedians on the rise, head over to the Lila Cockrell Theatre for TV tapings of The Best of the Fest, featuring comedic talents like Chingo Bling, Jessica Keenan, and Steve Trevino. Two of the 2020 Fresh Faces comics will be selected to get their first TV break and also appear on the Best of the Fest taping on Sunday. The Best of the Fest will include guest hosts Paul Rodriguez and Emilio Rivera, a surprise appearance by an alum of the famed sketch troupe The Second City, members of the original cast of The Brothers Garcia, and Paulina Chávez star of The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia.
Last year’s HA Comedy Festival was award-winning and critically acclaimed, and this year’s festival promises to be even better. With so much talent on display, you won’t want to miss it. For the full schedule and tickets, visit hacomedyfest.com. Get ready to laugh out loud and let your stomach hurt from too much laughter!
