Desi Comedy Fest Wed Aug 19 7:30pm (Oakland)

What began in 2014 as a single Bay Area comedy festival has grown into North America's premier South Asian comedy festival, helping introduce audiences to comedians who have gone on to appear on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, NBC, ABC, CBS, Comedy Central, Just For Laughs, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and stages around the world.

Now celebrating its 12th year, Desi Comedy Fest returns August 18-23, 2026 with six unforgettable nights of stand-up comedy across the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, featuring 25 comedians from the United States and Canada.

Founded by comedians Samson Koletkar (Mahatma Moses) and Abhay Nadkarni, Desi Comedy Fest was created to give South Asian comedians a stage while welcoming audiences of every background. Over the past twelve years, the festival has evolved from a local showcase into an internationally recognized comedy brand, producing shows throughout North America and India while championing diverse voices in stand-up comedy.

Today, Desi Comedy Fest is recognized as one of the world's longest-running festivals dedicated to South Asian stand-up comedy, bringing together established headliners, festival favorites, and rising stars performing smart, original comedy that ranges from observational humor and storytelling to cultural satire and universally relatable experiences.

"Desi Comedy Fest has always been about creating opportunities for talented comedians while bringing people together through laughter," said Samson Koletkar, co-founder of the festival. "Over the past twelve years, we've watched our audiences become increasingly diverse, proving that great comedy doesn't need a shared ethnicity - it just needs a shared sense of humor."

"When we started Desi Comedy Fest, there were very few spaces dedicated to showcasing South Asian comedians," said Abhay Nadkarni, co-founder of the festival. "Today, we're seeing South Asian comics appear on major streaming platforms, television, and comedy festivals around the world. We're proud that Desi Comedy Fest has helped create opportunities, build audiences, and demonstrate that these stories resonate far beyond our own communities."

Beyond producing memorable live shows, Desi Comedy Fest has become an important platform for discovering and developing comedy talent. Festival alumni and featured performers have gone on to release comedy specials on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, perform on NBC, ABC, CBS, and Comedy Central, appear as Just For Laughs New Faces, tour internationally, and headline comedy clubs and festivals across North America.

Although inspired by the South Asian experience, the festival has always welcomed audiences of every background. Its mission remains simple: to bring people together through laughter while celebrating the rich diversity of voices that make comedy universal.

Since its inception, Desi Comedy Fest has expanded beyond the Bay Area with successful tours across the United States and Canada, performances in India, and recent debut runs on the East Coast and in the Midwest, further establishing itself as the leading showcase for South Asian stand-up comedy.

Festival by the Numbers
12 Years of Desi Comedy Fest
25 Comedians from the United States and Canada
6 Cities across the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento
6 Nights of live stand-up comedy
2 Countries represented by this year's performers
Hundreds of comedians showcased since 2014
Thousands of audience members entertained across North America
One mission: Bringing people together through laughter.


URLs:
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Category: Arts | Performing Arts | Comedy

Prices:
General: USD 25.00,
Premium: USD 37.00

Artists: Samson Koletkar, Abhay Nadkarni, Ajay Damodaran, Nitish Balachandran, Jesse Singh, Uzair Malik