Don’t Tell Comedy, a Stand-Up Startup, Comes to San Diego

There’s a three-day comedy festival coming to San Diego this weekend. We don’t have many details about the venue locations or the names of performers—and that’s kind of the point. Buy a ticket (starting at $25) and at noon on the day of the show you’ll find out the location. You won’t know the identity of the performers until they take the stage.

But know this: Don’t Tell Comedy pops up in places such as rooftops, warehouses, backyards, and yoga studios, where small crowds sit on folding chairs. Any place but a comedy club, basically. And along with up-and-comers, big names often grace the show. The lineup is frequently a mix of local comedians and big acts like Ali Wong, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, and Hannibal Burress. Once you purchase a ticket, you won’t spend another dime. There are no parking fees, no drink-minimums, nothing to buy at the BYOB shows. The point isn’t to make money for club owners (“I refuse to believe that comedy is the business of selling drinks,” the website says) but to showcase stand-up for audiences deterred by high prices.

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Three years ago, L.A.-based comedian Kyle Kazanjian-Amory launched the comedy series in a friend’s backyard. Since then, his comedian-run organization has expanded the concept to 40 cities that will host 1,000 shows this year.

From Aug. 16-18, six shows are taking place in San Diego: two in North Park, two in La Jolla, and in Pacific Beach, and Encinitas, all at 7:30 p.m. For obvious reasons, we can’t tell you much more than that, except that it seems like a good time! Book tickets for the often sold-out shows here.

(The series also returns to San Diego on Sept. 5 with a $20 show in La Jolla.)

Don’t Tell Comedy, a Stand-Up Startup, Comes to San Diego

Photo courtesy of Don’t Tell Comedy