Tampa Bay’s comedy scene can finally say that it hosted a successful, weekend-long, multi-venue festival on both sides of the Bay. For the inaugural Sunshine Comedy Festival that wrapped last weekend, more than 100 comics staged more than 75 events featuring stand-up, podcast recordings, workshops, networking and even movie screenings in front of what organizers said were approximately 1,500 attendees each day.
Highlights, according to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay photographer Ryan Kern, included legacy comedian Jeffrey Gurian, rising star Kam Patterson, David Spade-opener Katherine Blanford, Troy Bond’s extended sets across several nights, plus James Ellis onstage in a speedo, JB Ball thrashing social media algorithms, Uncle Lazer’s morally-questionable Texas-lifestyle stories and more.
