Photograph courtesy Geoff Tate Comedy
Five nationally recognized comedians—including touring comic Geoff Tate—and 20 local comedians will take the stage on August 2 for the second annual Norwood Comedy Festival. The free festival features five distinct stand-up shows.
“It’s the largest gathering of Cincinnati comedians in one area at a time,” says Wayne Memmott, owner of Bombs Away! Comedy, an independent comedy club in Northside helping to organize the festival. “Whatever you think about how the world is right now, I think we all need a laugh—always. And when you have laughter in shared spaces, it helps people remember the community that they’re around.”
Tate, a Cincinnati native and the festival’s headliner, has more than 12 widely streamed stand-up albums and has made appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, WTF with Marc Maron, and The Todd Glass Show. He has opened for nationally acclaimed comedians such as Tom Segura and has been featured at festivals like Bonnaroo, SXSW, and SF Sketchfest.
“There’s two other guys on this Norwood thing that I started with, [Dave Waite and Ryan Singer], and this is the first time in more than a decade that the three of us have been on the same show together,” Tate says. “I’m excited about that.”
The festival was established last year when the Northwood Cider Company decided to try something new during its monthly farmer’s market, Off Pike Market. Rather than host live music, as usual, after its August market, the brewery reached out to Memmott.
Photograph courtesy Wayne Memmott
“Somewhere else in Norwood was having a big music festival on the night of their market,” Memmott says. “And [Northwood Cider] approached me and said, ‘What do you think about a comedy festival?’” Memmott agreed to bring in the comedians, and Northwood Cider handled the rest.
As a comedian with 15 years of experience under his belt, Memmott says his role was easy—even when it came to recruiting renowned comedian Tate. “He’s my friend. We’ve done comedy together forever,” Memmott says. “I called him up and said, ‘Hey, do you want to have a reason to come back home and see your mom on August 2?’ and he said, ‘Yes, I’d love to.’”
The early portions of the festival will be held outside, where children can burn off energy at the playground while parents enjoy the show. The festival will host food trucks and a cider and beer garden, featuring Estazzi THC Fruit Soda, HighGrain Brewing, MPH Brewing, and Northwood Cider Company. As the comedians finish their shows, many will join the crowd to mingle with fans and old friends. At 9:30 p.m., the seven remaining comedians will move inside for the “After Dark” comedy show, open only to guests 18 and older.
“We had more than 500 people last year which was a rousing success,” Memmott says. He expects the festival to be just as well-attended this year. “The audience that shows up is always rooting for the comedians to do well. They show up ready to laugh, and they love to laugh at a lot.”
Looking ahead to the festival, Tate’s advice is simple: “Just come along,” he says. “See what happens.”
The Norwood Comedy Festival takes place Sat, Aug 2 from 2-11 p.m. at Northwood Cider Co., 2075 Mills Ave., Norwood.
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