Patton Oswalt, Mike Judge, Christopher Guest top A.V. Club’s 26th Annual Comedy Festival


Chicago-based comedy fans start getting excited as the A.V. Club has done it again, rounding up some serious talent for their fourth annual 26th Annual Comedy Festival. The one-of-a-kind festival, presented in conjunction with The Onion and ClickHole and sponsored by truTV, is set to take place from May 31 through June 4, 2017 at a handful of venues in and around The Windy City. Topping this year’s bill are standup comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, writer-director Mike Judge and ensemble comedy film master Christopher Guest.

Guest will kick off the fourth annual 26th Annual Comedy Festival with an appearance at the Music Box on May 31 at 7 p.m. The multi-talented actor, writer and director is slated to chat with The Modern School Of Film’s Robert Milazzo about his laugh-filled career, which includes films like Mascots, Waiting for Guffman and This Is Spinal Tap.

June 1 will see Judge (Beavis & Butt-head, Office Space, Silicon Valley) joining fans at the Music Box for a viewing of his 2006 film Idiocracy. The film, which may be more relevant now than ever before, will be screened in 35mm, prior to an interview with Judge and A.V. Club’s Sean O’Neal.

Oswalt, primarily known for his standup act and for his work in films like Ratatouille and Young Adult, is scheduled to perform two sets on Friday, June 2 (7 & 10 p.m.) at the Athenaeum Theatre. Making these standup sets extra special is the fact he’s recording the pair for a forthcoming TV special.

Among the other talent appearing at the fourth annual 26th Annual Comedy Festival are Aparna Nancheria, Nathan Fielder of Nathan For You, Jena Friedman, Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill. The festival will also feature a reunion of The Adventures Of Pete & Pete and live segments of Guys We F@#ked: The Experience, 7 Minutes In Purgatory with Ian Abramson, Amazing: A ClickHole Live Show, Adam Ruins Everything Live and Bitch Sesh live with Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider.

There will also be a multi-day event entitled Rise Up: Comedy For Change, featuring a host of comedians and experts, aimed at exploring comedy’s role with regard to social and political change.

For more information, and to pick up tickets, please visit The AV Club.