The Countdown Improv Festival triumphantly returns to the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa for our fifth year! Our 2021 festival will feature 51 different trio, duo, and solo improv acts from all over the United States. Join us for three nights of hilarious and unforgettable improv comedy!

This year's performances will take place in the HCC Mainstage Theatre from Thursday, October 21 through Saturday, October 23, with special performances taking place on the festival's Commodore Stage on Saturday night.

We're offering three types of tickets for this year's festival. All tickets are general admission.

Weekend Mainstage passes ($60 + taxes/fees) offer audience members the chance to see any and all HCC Mainstage festival shows over all three nights. Weekend passes are a significant savings over the cost of purchasing nightly passes. If you are considering attending more than one night of shows this year, this is the value buy!

Nightly Mainstage passes can be purchased for individual show nights, and are redeemable up until the final block of the night. The pricing structure for nightly passes is as follows:

• Thursday night pass: $30 + taxes/fees (special opening night price!)
• Friday night pass: $35 + taxes/fees
• Saturday night pass: $35 + taxes/fees

***NOTE: Weekend and nightly passes do NOT include shows on the Commodore Stage on Saturday night; Commodore Stage tickets can be added on for an additional $10. See below for further details.**

The Commodore Stage (Saturday night, $15 + taxes/fees ) is our curated, experimental second stage featuring a hand-picked selection of acts that specialize in exuberant, kinetic improv comedy. Located steps away from the main stage inside the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, the Commodore Stage offers an immersive improv experience for true fans of the art form. The prices noted here are for standalone tickets to the Commodore Stage, as an alternate option, Commodore Stage tickets may be added on to a nightly pass for Saturday night or a weekend pass.

Please note: All tickets across all stages are general admission tickets. Reserved seats are not available.

Our in-person performance schedule is as follows. For more information about these groups, please visit our website.

Thursday, October 21: 7:00 - 11:00 PM

7:00: Matt Walker Just Got Bad News (St. Petersburg), The Haiku Lady (Tampa), Kevin Michalski (St. Petersburg), Honk & Wave (St. Petersburg)

8:20: Screaming Armadillo Comedy Presents THAT VOICE IN YOUR HEAD! (Boca Raton), Cheeze&Crackerz (Sarasota), Unconsciously Coupled (Sarasota)

10:00: Okay Google (St. Petersburg), FST Improv (Sarasota)

Friday, October 22: 6:00 - 11:30 PM

HCC Mainstage Theatre:

6:00: Interpretive Word (St. Petersburg), NC-17: Nick and Conor (Houston), Ophelia's Rope (Houston)

7:15: ¡Punctuation.Marks! (Miami), Playtime with Patrick and Preston (Chicago), Katie & Chris (Denver), Big Bang Improv (Boston)

9:00: Bryan vs. Music (Portland, Ore.), Cuzzins (Miami), Inimitable Aluminum Anemones (St. Petersburg)

10:15: I Am The Show (Chicago), Ant Farm (Delray Beach, Fla.)

Saturday, October 23: 5:00 - 11:30 PM

HCC Mainstage Theatre:

5:00: Meta?Nigma (St. Petersburg), From the Heart with Jill and Jackie (Oakland/Marin, Calif.), Impromptu (Sarasota)

6:25: Together/By Myself: A Solo Improv Experience (Coconut Creek, Fla.), From Justin to Kelly (New York City), The Project (Austin, Texas), It's All About Amy (St. Augustine, Fla.)

8:00: Sweaty Dee (Seattle), Daddy's Little Nest Egg (Boca Raton), Sharon & Darren (Washington, D.C.), Hot Mess! The Musical (Chicago/Kansas City)

9:45: Solovela (Plantation, Fla.), The wUw Show (Omaha, Neb.), Four First Names (Orlando), The Magnificent 7 (St. Petersburg)

Commodore Stage: 8:00 - 9:35 PM

Right-Hand and Man (St. Petersburg), Yes, And, You (Pittsburgh), CatBird (Boynton Beach, Fla.), Improvised Phone Calls with Steve Horton (Chicago),

The 2021 Countdown Improv Festival is the recipient of a Hillsborough County Special Events Partnership Grant. We are grateful to the County for its support of our event.

FAQs

Where is the festival located?

The festival is located in the Ybor City neighborhood at the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, 1411 E. 11th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605.

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

There are no ID or minimum age requirements; however, improvisational comedy can be unpredictable and mature themes can arise unexpectedly. Basically, if you wouldn't bring your kids to a PG-13 movie, you probably shouldn't bring them to the festival.

Will food and beverage be available?

With the exception of bottled water, food and beverage will not be available, and are not allowed inside the theater, so please plan accordingly.

How will you mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at this event?

We will require that all patrons, regardless of their vaccination status, wear a mask or face covering while in the theater, except when eating or drinking. (As per above, only bottled water is allowed in the theater, so this should be very minimal.) We will require our performers to be masked as well, except when they are performing on stage. We thank you in advance for your cooperation, and for helping us to keep our community safe. If you do not have a mask, we will happily provide you with one.

In compliance with current HCC policies, seating capacity in both venues will be significantly reduced to allow for social distancing. Hand sanitizer will also be in ample supply throughout the premises.

Additional measures may be implemented as we approach the date of our event. We will update our website and this page with those details, and communicate directly with existing ticketholders on any updates to our policies.

What is your latecomers' policy?

Ticketholders who arrive more than 10 minutes after the scheduled start time for a given block of shows will be seated at the discretion of management.

Do you offer group discounts?

We are happy to extend special pricing to groups of 10 or more. Send us an email at countdownimprovfestival at gmail dot com and let's discuss.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Visit our website, www.countdownimprovfestival.com, which should answer most questions you may have. If you've still got questions, feel free to drop us a line at countdownimprovfestival at gmail dot com.

Are tickets refundable?

Tickets are non-refundable.