The underside of a theatre marquee studded with warm bulbs, no lettering

Hampton Beach, NH

Hampton Beach Comedy Festival 2027

17–23 August 2027

Hampton Beach Comedy Festival brings invitation-only stand-up to Hampton Beach, a different show each night with at least five comedians on the bill, at McGuirk's Ocean View, a hotel with a restaurant at Post 8. Boston comic Jimmy Dunn, a longtime Hampton resident, started it in 2009, inviting comics he liked to a backyard steak before a show at the Ashworth by the Sea hotel. Shows start at 7:30pm for those 21 and over; the next edition runs from 17 to 23 August 2027.

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You book on hampton-beach-comedy-festival.weebly.com, the seller the festival uses. The Guide sells no tickets.

Tickets ↗You book on hampton-beach-comedy-festival.weebly.com. The Guide sells no tickets.

The 2027 festival

The Hampton Beach Comedy Festival 2027 runs 7 days, from Tuesday 17 August 2027 to Monday 23 August 2027, in Hampton Beach, NH. On its stages: stand-up. Tickets, times and the full programme are on the festival's own site. Comedy festivals in 2027, month by month.

Its story

Since that first steak, Dunn's own career has taken in a leading role in the CBS series The McCarthys, spots on Conan and The Late Show with David Letterman, and a part in the Netflix series Love; as a teenager he had parked cars at the Ashworth, the hotel of the first shows. The 2026 festival ran six nights, from 18 to 23 August, billed as the Best of the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival: comics from its past years, a new line-up each night, Dunn among them. Its alumni include Lenny Clarke, Tony V, Mark Riley, Kerri Louise, Juston McKinney, Christine Hurley, Mike Donovan and Jackie Flynn.

Tickets

No 2027 tickets are listed yet. Every show is for those 21 and over and carries adult content; doors open at 5:30pm and shows start at 7:30pm. Shows go ahead weather permitting: when rain threatens, the call is made at 2pm on the day, and tickets for a cancelled show are refunded.

Buy on hampton-beach-comedy-festival.weebly.com ↗

Before you go

The shows are outdoors at Post 8, the cabana bar on the back patio of McGuirk's Ocean View Hotel & Restaurant, at 95 Ocean Blvd. on the Hampton Beach boardwalk, steps from the sand, with dinner and drinks served. Seats go to whoever arrives first. A 2026 seat cost $20 in advance. The hotel itself has 10 beach-themed rooms, each with a private bathroom, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and a beverage refrigerator; reservations are on 603-926-7000.

Entering as a comic

No comic can apply: the festival books by invitation only, and its submissions page says it is fully booked.

For comedians: submissions

By invitation The festival books its acts by invitation and takes no submissions for the 2027 festival.

How it takes acts: By invitation: the festival books its acts and takes no submissions
As of: 31 October 2026

Deadlines and fees change: the festival's own page has the last word. Every festival open for submissions

Questions

When is the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival 2027?

17–23 August 2027 in Hampton Beach, NH.

Where do I book for the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival?

Through hampton-beach-comedy-festival.weebly.com, where the festival's own site, hamptonbeachcomedy.com, sends its ticket buyers. The festival's site also has the latest programme and any changes.

Can comedians apply to the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival 2027?

Not now: submissions for the 2027 festival closed. Its next call will be on the festival's own site, hampton-beach-comedy-festival.weebly.com.

Sources

All the festivals