Traverse City Comedy Fest returns in April, Gary Gulman announced

The fourth annual Traverse City Comedy Fest will bring a three day lineup of comedy to downtown Traverse City from April 16 through April 18, 2026, festival organizers announced on November 13. The event will occupy seven venues including the Traverse City Comedy Club, City Opera House, Park Place Hotel, The Workshop Brewing Company, The Alluvion, Hotel Indigo, and Voyageurs, and is presented by Traverse City Tourism.

Gary Gulman was announced as the festival's first national headliner. Gulman is scheduled to perform Saturday April 18 at the City Opera House. His credentials include comedy specials, including "The Great Depresh", film and television appearances, a 2023 memoir, and a recent off Broadway run. Tickets for Gulman’s headlining show will go on sale December 1 at TraverseCityComedyFest.com. Organizers said additional headliners and full programming will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The festival’s return for a fourth year continues a pattern of expanding arts programming in Grand Traverse County during the spring shoulder season. Hosting shows across multiple venues concentrates foot traffic in the downtown district, creating potential economic benefits for hotels, restaurants, bars, and local retail. The involvement of Traverse City Tourism as presenting sponsor ties the event to broader efforts to market the region and extend visitor seasons beyond summer.

For local performers and comedy producers, the festival offers a platform to share stages with regional and national acts. Organizers have promoted a mix of Michigan based talent and national comedians, with dozens of shows and events planned across the three days. That blend may increase exposure for local artists while attracting audiences who travel for headline acts.

Municipal and venue coordination will be important as the festival grows. Multiple downtown locations will require logistical planning for scheduling, crowd management, and transportation. City officials and business owners will be watching how the event affects downtown traffic and downtown services, and whether it helps sustain midweek and offpeak business activity.

For residents and visitors interested in attending, the immediate action item is the December 1 on sale date for Gulman tickets at TraverseCityComedyFest.com. Organizers expect to announce more headliners and a full schedule soon, which will determine pricing, show times, and any ticket packages that could influence attendance patterns. As the festival takes shape, it will be a notable entry on the county’s cultural calendar and a test case for entertainment driven economic activity in Traverse City outside the summer months.