ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg is about to become a gathering place for stand-up comedy.
The inaugural Joke WRLD Comedy Festival comes to downtown St. Petersburg Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14 to15, bringing more than 75 comedians, live podcasts and other comedy events to the city.
The festival runs from 1 p.m. to midnight each day, with Coastal Creative at 2201 1st Ave. S. serving as the main hub. Events will take place across five downtown St. Petersburg venues.
The lineup includes comedians Joe DeRosa, Greg Fitzsimmons, Tim Butterly, Jeremiah Watkins, Casey Rocket, Sam Tripoli, Tommy Pope, Dylan Carlino, Maddy Smith, Mike Cannon, Mike Feeney, Rachel Wolfson, Nick Rochefort, Uncle Lazer and many more.
The festival also features Roast Battle League, Stand Up On The Spot, The God Damn Comedy Jam, The Absolute Show and more than 10 live podcast recordings.
For founder Jake Frombach, bringing the festival to the Tampa Bay area is a return to the place where Joke WRLD began.
Joke WRLD was founded in Tampa and incorporated in Florida in 2022. Frombach's Tampa connection is central to the company's history. The business was initially based in Tampa before Joke WRLD grew into a national comedy media brand.
Frombach also started performing stand-up himself and eventually built Joke WRLD around his interest in comedians and the business of comedy.
The brand has also developed relationships with comedians across the country, giving Frombach a built-in network for the festival.
Attendees can move between shows and live podcast recordings, with food trucks, drinks, and surprise appearances throughout the weekend. The festival is designed to give fans the chance to see both established comedians and performers who may be less familiar to a mainstream audience.
Coastal Creative, located in St. Petersburg's Grand Central area, will serve as the primary festival venue.
The festival is also part of a growing comedy scene in St. Petersburg, which has seen more stand-up and comedy programming in recent years.
For Frombach, however, the weekend represents something bigger than another comedy show. A project that began while he was living in Tampa has grown into a festival capable of bringing dozens of comedians and thousands of comedy fans together in the Tampa Bay area.
For more information, go to https://www.jokewrldfest.com/
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