Buffalo Comedy: Local, national and international comedians take the stage in Buffalo this weekend.

(Above: Trae Crowder, via @traecrowder on Facebook)

By Jason Pomietlasz

Science has proven that September is the best month to try something new, like seeing live comedy.

Thursday, Sept 11

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo.
Improv Mixer, a relaxed environment to try out improv or just to watch. Sign-ups at 6:45 p.m., 7 start. $5 suggested or pay what you can. 

Mr. Goodbar, 1110 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, 8 p.m.
Open mic comedy on the second floor. Sign-ups at 7 p.m,  Free.

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. 7 p.m., tickets $48.99.

Trae Crowder’s viral series of “Liberal Redneck” comedic “porch rant” videos helped put him on the comedy map and his book, “The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin Dixie Outta The Dark,” was a best seller. 

Buffalo Comedy Collective, 155 Chandler Street, Buffalo. 7 p.m., tickets $25.

Pesto & Goat Cheese: Standup Comedy Show. Julia Leahy and Connor Willey will take the stage at the BCC theater along with some special guests. 

Friday – Saturday, Sept 12 – 13

Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, 310 4th St Niagara Falls. 8 p.m., tickets starting at $67. 

Nick Swardson brings “Toilet Head,” to the Niagara region for two shows. Swardson has done everything in showbiz. Besides standup he has written and starred in “Benchwarmers”, “Grandma’s Boy” and “Grown Ups 2.” Swardson had a memorable recurring character on “Reno 911” and his own sketch show “Pretend Time with Nick Swardson.” And nobody makes a better diarrhea joke than Swardson. 

Friday – Sunday, Sept 12 – 14 

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. Tickets $41.04 – 53.46.

You have five chances to see Bill Bellamy this weekend. Two years into his standup career Bellamy earned a spot on HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” where he coined the phrase “Booty Call,” which is still part of the lexicon and the name of his first comedy special. Bellamy was also an MTV VJ and hosted the first season of “Beach House” when MTV was cool.

Friday, Sept 12 

Buffalo Comedy Collective, 155 Chandler Street, Buffalo.  

Comedy Sportz match-up. Two teams “competitively” play short form improv games with suggestions from the audience, who also decides the winner. 7:30 p.m., tickets $18. 

Open Mic night, every second Friday of the month. If you want to perform, sign up at https://www.buffalocomedycollective.com/event-details/open-mic-091225 for a chance to do a 5 minute set. You will be notified within 48 hours if you made the list. 9:30 p.m., tickets $10. 

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo. 

Improv Collider, several BIH house teams perform different long-form improv styles. 7 p.m., tickets $10 presale or $15 general admission. 

Confessions: An improv show with scenes inspired by secret confessions from the audience. 8 p.m., tickets $12 presale or $15 at the door.

The New Friday Mixer, same as Thursday’s mixer, just a later time. 9:30 p.m., tickets $5. 

Saturday, Sept 13

Buffalo Comedy Collective, 155 Chandler Street, Buffalo. 

ComedySportz Saturday match-up. Two teams “competitively” play short form improv games with suggestions from the audience, who also decides the winner. 6 p.m., tickets $18. 

Same Game, an interactive improvised game show inspired by shows such as Match Game and Family Feud. 8:30 p.m., tickets $18. 

Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207, Buffalo. 

Whose House? A panel style comedy show that may involve some short form improv. 7 p.m., tickets $12 online, $15 general admission.

Cagematch (New Night). Two teams perform for audience laughs and votes to be crowned winner for the night. Then the winning team returns the next week to defend their title against a new team. 8:30 p.m., tickets $8 presale, $10 general admission. 

Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo, 100 Coventry Road, Buffalo, 7 p.m., tickets starting at $29.

Hannah Berner is a stand-up and a New York Times Best-Selling author. Berner’s debut special “We Ride at Dawn” premiered at number two on Netflix and she hosts two top-ranked podcasts. Her video series, “Han on the Street,” has earned over 350 million views.

Monday, Sept 15

Tudor Lounge, 335 Franklin Street, Buffalo, 8 p.m. 

Comedy Open Mic Comedy. Start your week by hearing new premises and jokes. Hosted by wrestling enthusiast Andrew Joslyn. Sign-ups at 7. Free.

Tuesday, Sept 16

Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen Street, Buffalo, 9 p.m. 

Rust Belt Comedy Showcase, Buffalo’s longest running comedy open mic hosted by Jake Samson (2022 Buffalo Funniest winner), and Jake Piskor (2025 Buffalo Funniest top three finalist). Free. 

Matinee, 698 Main St., Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.

Train Stop Comedy, a new comedy open mic on Main Street with host Mamudu Kargbo. For all levels of comics and audiences. Free. 

Third Space Cafe & Entertainment, 777 Main St., Buffalo, 6:30 p.m.

The Early Bird Comedy Open Mic. Brand new open mic hosted by Brody Walsh and Connor Mink. Signups start at 5:30 p.m. Free.

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $33.99 – 43.99.

Francesco De Carlo is what some would consider an international comic. Born in Italy, he has performed in 17 countries and at Edinburgh, Johannesburg and Montreal comedy festivals. He’s currently working out material for his ninth comedy special while on the road. 

Wednesday, Sept 17 

Milkies, 522 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo. 

Comedy Open Mic Comedy. Sign-ups at 7 or online, show starts at 9ish p.m. Hosted by Jesse Winterhalter. Free. 

Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi Street, Buffalo. 

Open Mic, where over twenty comics will perform their best 3 minutes, 7 p.m., free with two-item minimum.

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Have a comedy event you want to add, email lakeeffectcomedy@gmail.com.