Festival was started by HHS alumni
The third annual Small Town Comedy Festival brings more than 25 nationally recognized comedians to downtown Healdsburg for two nights of wine, cider and comedy. On Thursday, June 25, tasting rooms around the square become intimate venues for pre-festival shows.
The next day, Friday, June 26, Sonoma Cider turns its warehouses into a setting for an all-out festival with multiple shows, food trucks and live music.
The festival was created in 2013 by best friends Sal Costanzo and Cory Loykasek, who grew up in Healdsburg and graduated from Healdsburg High School. Costanzo previously taught at HHS and now teaches at Maria Carrillo High School, and Loykasek lives in Los Angeles doing stand-up comedy and making comedic short films.
New additions to the festival this year include expanding to two nights and partnering with the nonprofit Active 20-30 Club of Healdsburg. Some club members are volunteering during the festival and a portion of the ticket sales will go to the club.
Like past years, the comedians come to town and put on a show for free, then stick around town for a couple of extra days for what Loykasek describes as a “summer camp retreat for comics,” organized by himself and Costanzo.
Loykasek, who will also perform at the festival, said that the lineup includes some of his favorite comedians across the nation. “It’s a really unique environment. Normally, to see comics like this, you have to go to the Wells Fargo Center or San Francisco,” he said.
Noteworthy comics in this year’s lineup include Rory Scovel, Drennon Davis, Karen Kilgariff and many others.
This will be comic Scovel’s second year at the festival. “I missed the very first one and I regret it because it’s seriously one of the most fun, laidback festivals,” he said. Scovel said that any excuse to come to Healdsburg is worth it, and he enjoys hanging out with fellow funny people and getting to do a show for “amazing audiences.”
“The people here really support the festival and that makes the shows super fun,” Scovel said.
Loykasek credits the success of the festival to people around Healdsburg pitching in, whether it’s to show the comics a good time, offer up a warehouse as a venue, or provide food or live music. “It really is an effort of goodwill all around,” he said.
“We’re trying to grow it steadily every year to where this could become a premiere comedy festival on a national level,” Loykasek said about the event.
Pre-festival shows take place on Thursday, June 25 and are $20. Shows begin at 8 p.m. at Bergamot Alley, Thumbprint Cellars, Hawley Tasting Room and Banshee Tasting Room. Those interested are encouraged to choose the show they’ll attend based on where they would like to spend their evening. The comedian lineups for each show are fluid, and comics will rotate through the downtown shows.
The Friday festival on June 26 includes four shows at Sonoma Cider’s warehouses, two at 7 p.m. and two at 9 p.m. Tickets for each show are $25 and purchased separately. The venues each open into a common pavilion where everyone has access to food trucks and live music. Gates open at 6 p.m.
All shows are 21 and up. Proceeds from ticket sales go into providing the comics a fun weekend and the Active 20-30 Club of Healdsburg. For tickets, or to see a full list of the performing comedians, visit www.smallto
wncomedyfestival.com. The show has sold out in previous years, and it’s encouraged to buy tickets in advance online.
