The summer of 2023 was already shaping up to be the funniest in Halifax’s history. Well, it just got funnier.
The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, with comedy legends Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Burr already on the bill, announced the lineup for its Saturday, August 12 show at the city’s Garrison Grounds. Heading the lineup for that night are wonderful comics Anthony Jeselink, Zarna Garg, and Michael Longfellow.
The headliner, Jeselink, is known to many for his Netflix standup shows ‘Fire in the Maternity Ward’ and ‘Thoughts and Prayers’. Jeselink is also the creator, host and producer of Comedy Central series ‘Good Talk’ and ‘The Jeselink Offensive’ and has appeared on multiple roasts including two iconic ones in ‘The Roast of Donald Trump’ and ‘The Roast of Charlie Sheen’. Also a veteran of the night show circuit, Jeselink was a writer and, most notably, the first ever stand-up comic to appear on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
Not to be outdone is Garg, winner of the 2021 Ladies of the Laughter Award and Kevin Hart’s Lyft Comics. She was recently featured on Apple TV’s “Gutsy”, her screenplay, “Rearranged”, won Top Comedy Feature Award at the Austin Film Festival, and she has over 1 million followers on Instagram. Meanwhile, Longfellow was a feature player on Saturday Night Live’s 48th season (part of a group replacing the likes of Pete Davidson, Kate MacKinnon, and Aidy Bryant) and appeared on the Netflix special, “Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival”.
The Saturday lineup announcement is the final piece of what is going to be a very exciting event for the city this summer. This the first time the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival has come to Halifax and its blend of comedy club and outdoor festival will be a truly unique event on the summer calendar. And not only will the event roll out the laughs, it will also give back to the local community too. A portion of festival ticket sales are going to the Halifax Chapter of the Canadian Progress Club while local food trucks and crafted beverages from Garrison Brewing and Bulwark Cider will be available on site.
The Saturday show is put together to showcase a diverse lineup of styles and backgrounds while being more accessible from a price standpoint. So if you don’t already have tickets for the sold out Seinfeld and Burr shows or are on the waiting lists, the Saturday night show may be just what the laugh doctor ordered. All tickets including VIP go on sale Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 10:00am ADT and can be purchased from the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival website. VIP tickets, which come with spots close to the stage, table service, premium drink menu, and early access to the grounds, sell out quickly. But if you miss out on those, general access tickets will still be available for those who want to bring a blanket and enjoy a laugh under the stars. And if you are coming from out of town, The Sutton Place Hotel is an official sponsor and just right down the road from the venue.
