312 Comedy Festival Promises The 'Funniest Week In Chicago' With Nate Bargatze, Russell Peters & More

Nate Bargatze, Russell Peters, John Crist, Nicole Byer and more will bring the funny to multiple venues across Chicagoland Nov. 1-5, as part of the inaugural 312 Comedy Festival produced by Outback Presents and Jam Productions.

Iconic Chicago area venues will include Allstate Arena, Rosemont Theatre, Chicago Theatre, Rialto Square Theatre, Riviera Theatre, Vic Theatre, Park West, Chicago Improv, Zanies Rosemont and Zanies Old Town.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday, July 14 at 10 a.m. local time through the festival website.

Additional comedians taking part in the laughfest include Ari Shaffir, Jeff Ross, Craig Robinson with his band The Nasty Delicious, Dan Cummins, Chad Daniels, and Jamie Lissow. Podcasters Liza Treyger and Kara Klenk are to bring their “That’s Messed Up” podcast to Park West Nov. 5.

Bargatze is one of the hottest comics alive this year, having broken a hometown record at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, selling 19,365 tickets and grossing $1,296,917.

He started the year off with “The Be Funny Tour” that took the Netflix favorite to arenas and theaters around the country, including two nights at Encore Theatre at the Wynn resort in Las Vegas.

Last year, Bargatze ranked No. 15 on Pollstar’s Top Comedy Tours for artists performing between Sept. 16, 2021 and Sept. 15, 2022, moving 157,875 tickets and grossing $8,838,608.60.

“After over a decade of success with our Nashville Comedy Festival, we couldn’t be more excited to be expanding into my hometown of Chicago, announcing our first ever 312 Comedy Festival in what I consider to be the greatest city in the world,” says Brian Dorfman, co-owner of Outback Presents and Zanies Comedy Clubs.