LA comedy calendar: Upcoming stand-up and comedy shows in LA

Think men could do a bit of a better job listening when it comes to dating? This Bachelorette-style game show runs with that conceit as its one rule: The four men competing for a date can’t speak. Instead, they’ll nod and doodle while host Allison Goldberg searches their phones and dials their moms. You can usually find Love Isn’t Blind staged monthly (and you can even apply to participate in it).

The L.A. location of Upright Citizens Brigade—the comedy troupe co-founded by Amy Poehler in New York in the ’90s—is turning 20, and celebrating by teaming up with the World’s Greatest Improv School, the Pack Theater and the Groundlings for a a day-long marathon of shows, workshops, panels and more. Prices range from free (for shows at the adjoining Annex and a Simpsons trivia competition) to $50 for a beginner-friendly clowning workshop. Topping off the birthday programming will be a performance of UCB’s flagship improv show, ASSSSCAT, where improvisers turn an often-recognizable guest monologist’s suggestions into a sketch, followed by the grand finale of a “Cagematch” battle of improv teams.

In the face of losing federal funding, there’s never been a more crucial time to support public media—and luckily there’s a hilarious way to do your part. Host J.F. Harris is presenting a night of stand-up at the Comedy Store, featuring Robby Hoffman, Sheng Wang, Beth Stelling and Alex Falcone—plus a special guest who’s still TBA. Ticket proceeds will directly support public radio, and come with a yearlong KCRW membership. (The venue’s two-drink minimum still applies.)

Netflix’s stand-up specials keep us cackling at home, but the streaming service’s ambitious comedy festival is nothing to laugh at. For its second iteration, Netflix is a Joke Fest is headed back here May 4 to 10, 2026, and upping the ante: We’ve counted over 350 shows slated for venues across the city, boasting sets from Ali Wong, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, John Mulaney, Taylor Tomlinson and a reunited Flight of the Conchords, plus literally hundreds of others. This year, the lineup also includes the surprise addition of music (Jelly Roll, Lizzo) and a ton of podcast tapings (The Pete Davidson Show, Giggly Squad, The Viall Files and more). The event is a bit more of a marathon than a traditional festival: There’s not an all-encompassing festival pass, but you can buy individual tickets to shows throughout its run. You’ll find shows staged at venues as big as the Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theatre (absolutely don’t drive and instead take the shuttle to both of those) and as intimate as Dynasty Typewriter and UCB, plus seemingly every major arena, theater and comedy club in between. Keep in mind that for shows at spots that are normally general admission, that means sitting in stiff, tightly packed folding chairs with limited views (the Palladium and ground floor of the Wiltern have particularly poor sightlines)—but the vast majority of venues thankfully have permanent seats. It’s TBD if outdoor event Outside Joke—which in the past was set up in a parking lot behind the...