The New York Comedy Festival is an annual comedy festival

Comedy festival

A comedy festival is a celebration of comedy with many shows, venues, comedy performers and is held over a specific block of time...

 started in 2004. The festival is produced in association with Comedy Central

Comedy Central

Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....

, the Huffington Post

The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...

, and Caroline's

Caroline's

Carolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy located in Times Square in New York City on Broadway between 49th and 50th Street. It is one of the most established, famous, and recognized stand-up comedy clubs in the United States. Its marketing slogan is "America's Premiere Comedy...

 comedy club located at Time's Square in New York City. The New York Comedy Festival is generally held in November, and features some of the biggest names in comedy. The 2009 NY Comedy Festival runs from November 4–8 and features headliners including Bill Maher

Bill Maher

William "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and...

, Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...

, Andy Samberg

Andy Samberg

David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...

, Mike Birbiglia

Mike Birbiglia

-Professional work:Birbiglia has released three albums, including My Secret Public Journal Live, which was named one of the best comedy albums of the decade by the Onion AV Club....

, Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...

, Artie Lange

Artie Lange

Arthur Steven "Artie" Lange, Jr. is an American actor, comedian and radio personality best known for his tenures with the The Howard Stern Show and the comedy sketch series MADtv....

, Mike Epps

Mike Epps

Michael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...

, and Dane Cook

Dane Cook

Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident. In 2006, Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album...

.

Since its inception, the festival has given the annual Andy Kaufman

Andy Kaufman

Andrew Geoffrey "Andy" Kaufman was an American entertainer, actor and performance artist. While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one...

 Award "to the individual who most closely reflects the originality, humor and courage of the late comedian." The winners of the award have been:

• 2004 Suzanne Whang
  Suzanne Whang
  Suzanne Whang is an American actress and comedienne. She is best known as the former host of the HGTV series House Hunters as well as her recurring role as manicurist Polly Nguyen on Las Vegas.-Personal life:...
  
  
• 2005 Kristen Schaal
  Kristen Schaal
  Kristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...
  
  
• 2006 Reggie Watts
  Reggie Watts
  Reggie Watts is a Seattle-based comedian and musician. His shows are mostly improvised and consist of stream of consciousness stand-up in various shifting personae, mixed with loop pedal-based a cappella compositions. He also performs regularly on television, radio, and in live theater...
  
  
• 2007 Brent Weinbach
  Brent Weinbach
  Brent Weinbach is an American stand-up comedian and performer based in San Francisco, California. He is known for his experimental style and abstract, deadpan delivery. Weinbach regularly performs stand-up at the Comedy Death-Ray shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles and has...
  
  
• 2008 No award
• 2009 Blaine Kneece

The New York Comedy Festival has also paired up with The People's Choice Awards for "The Opening Act" Competition, which selects one amateur stand up

Stand-up comedy

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...

comedian to open for one of the festivals well known headlining acts.