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South by Southwest is known for showcasing exciting innovations in entertainment and technology, and based on this year’s hefty lineup, the 2026 festival will be no exception. Staying with the ethos of identifying and spotlighting emerging trends, the 2026 SXSW Comedy Festival is sure to deliver innovative performances by established comedic icons, while also spotlighting the next generation of comedy.
Sam Schles, the director of comedy for SXSW, is dedicated to showcasing comedy influenced by contemporary culture. In doing so, the festival’s lineup will feature stand-up comedians, podcasters, social media influencers, and improv troupes across a wide range of styles and formats.
The festival’s lineup, featuring heavyweight comedians Eric André, Bill Burr, and Chelsea Peretti, will showcase where comedy is now as well as where it’s heading. But beyond the big names, this year’s programming is rooted in discovery and experimentation; two facets Schles is proud to spotlight.
Den of Geek got the chance to speak with Schles about her thought-process behind this year’s lineup, the challenges of curating a wide-ranging program, and what audiences can expect from the 2026 SXSW Comedy Festival. Below is the transcript of the interview.
DEN OF GEEK: This year is especially exciting for SXSW because the comedy, film and television, and music programming are all running concurrently for the first time. What level of coordination and collaboration does it take to pull it off?
SAM SCHLES: That was actually a huge priority of mine coming in. This is my first year at the festival and that’s exactly what I wanted to take advantage of. I see comedy as this nexus point where there’s a confluence of culture. That’s all coming together at SXSW and comedy has an awesome opportunity to spotlight the talent that we have in a different way.
It made sense to look at what comedy movies and talent were coming through and featuring them as guests on podcasts or elsewhere. We’re working with the music programmers to see which artists can get invited into one of our spaces that highlights them in a funny or unexpected light. That was definitely top of mind for me when I started programming.
What was the selection process for assembling this year’s programming? What are you looking for?
I see it as an opportunity to speak to all the different types of comedy that are happening today, whether that’s inviting a lot of digital native talent or brands or shows that could pop up live at SXSW. It’s improv, sketch, stand-up, game shows, podcasts, and even drag and cabaret. I see SXSW as the perfect place to spotlight all different types of voices, so making sure we’re hitting all of those points is integral to what defines the SXSW Comedy Festival.
I’m glad you brought that up because the Comedy Festival in particular is not just screenings or musical performances. There’s such a variety in what’s put together. There’s experimental stuff that you’re not going to see anywhere else. Was it difficult to find a balance so that there’s something for everyone and not weighted too much in one field?
That’s always on the mind from both a talent perspective and a showcase perspective. It also speaks to the other festivals too. There’s this element of discovery alongside hearing from luminaries and the people that are at the top of their field. There are people who are disrupting, alongside the previous disruptors. We have our marquee SXSW stand-up showcases that pull in a mix across the festival where you might see somebody that you already know. You might discover a new stand-up. You might see a podcast that you’re familiar with or be introduced to one that you’ve never heard before. That level of discoverability, even if you’re coming to a showcase that’s presented by a certain brand. Hopefully it offers a taste that both stretches people’s appetites for comedy and gives them something that’s also a little new in addition to fan-favorites.
It’s so much fun to see talent doing something that you haven’t seen them do before. Something I’m really excited about is that we’re bringing CHAOS to SXSW — that’s Chelsea Peretti, Natasha Leggero, and Sabrina Jalees. I think a lot of comedy fans are familiar with them, but maybe haven’t seen them do this type of show before. It’s a great opportunity to see folks in different lights.
You’ve always done a good job at amplifying female voices and it’s encouraging to see that carried over into SXSW, in terms of the diversity of comedy that’s on display.
I think it’s part of what comedy is today. I don’t think it’s something that you need to be too intentional about. That’s just where all the comedy is coming from. For example, one of the partnerships that I’m excited about this year that’s coming here for the first time is Reductress. They’re known online for being feminist, but also just having generally relatable types of content. They’re breaking out more to stand-up. They have a monthly show at Union Hall in New York. This is their first time bringing a stand-up showcase to somewhere else.
Partnering with them and comedians that fit within the ethos of what Reductress is is something that I’m excited about. The headline for me would be that there’s something for everybody and something unexpected. It speaks to the roots of the Austin comedy scene, too. I think this is a very cutting-edge city in so many different ways. That was another thing that was just exciting to me about the opportunity of leading the Comedy Festival here.
Is there a broader theme or message to this year’s festival that you’re trying to convey?
That’s going to be something that we’re really growing into. The Comedy Festival has always been amazing, but it maybe hasn’t been as visible or people didn’t come to SXSW with a comedy show top of mind. I think a big focus of this year is integrating it more into everything that’s happening at SXSW so attendees know to make comedy a priority, too. It’s something that we can definitely grow into. If this is year one, then what can we do next? I think we have a huge ramp upwards from here.
Dropout Comedy is featured at this year’s Comedy Festival and I’ve just been so impressed with their branding and evolution. What about their growth has impressed you, and why were they talent that you wanted to showcase this year?
Dropout was one of the first people that I wanted to reach out to for this festival. The partnership that we were able to create with them this year was bigger than I even imagined. We have this ACL Live show that’s a Platinum perk exclusive for SXSW Platinum badgeholders. We have something for the public and something for SXSW and then we’re also doing two live shows in our venue with them. We’re doing a live version of Dirty Laundry and a live version of Crowd Control.
As somebody who comes from a TV, digital, and film background, Dropout is taking the model of what I’ve loved about working with comedians and developing with them. They’re able to talk to their fans so organically and I’m so impressed with how they connect with their audiences. It just felt like a no-brainer to me. This is the type of brand that is indicative of where comedy is today and what people want. They have interactivity, live, digital. They have all these different parts of their machine that are so cool and non-stop funny. I’m just completely thrilled with their partnership with us this year. I’m excited to see where we can take it.
After working in comedy for so long, what emerging trends are you noticing right now in the industry and how is SXSW responding to those? What do you see in the festival’s future?
Somewhere that SXSW is uniquely positioned to amplify, and perhaps hasn’t taken full advantage of yet, is how it can really grow in the podcast space, both in terms of comedy and other topics. We can really grow as podcasts and big emerging talent move into live spaces. I think that’s strangely been the biggest growth in comedy. It’s already a huge genre, but digital creators are moving into live experiences that aren’t necessarily comedy-first. For example, Mary Beth Barone doing the Golden Globes Red Carpet content, to me, is a no-brainer. She’s a fantastic comedian and actress.
SXSW happens once a year and it’s on top of a city with all these different people coming in from all over the world. I think comedy is uniquely positioned here to play an unexpected role. Even going back to like in the early 2000s there were those Fred Armisen music journalist videos. That kind of unique comedy has always been happening, but I want it to happen more. I want SXSW to facilitate that more and play into it.
What are some of the biggest highlights from this year’s SXSW Comedy Festival that you’re excited for fans to experience?
The big one is Dropout. We have three shows with them — three different types of shows. CHAOS is a big one for me. The Reductress showcase we’re doing. Eric Andre’s podcast is going to be here and it’s sure to be nutty. I have no idea what’s going to happen and I’m glad I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re also really excited about our opening night. We have banger after banger every day, but opening night in particular is great.
Cracked Comedy Club is going to be filming short set shows that go out. Devon Walker, the former SNL cast member who is actually from Austin, is doing the first-ever live edition of My Favorite Lyrics. So it’s kind of like this hometown homecoming entertainment blowout with him that I’m so thrilled about. Probably the biggest one is that Fox Entertainment Studios is hosting a showcase in celebration of one of their films that’s actually going to be hosted by Bill Burr. It’s a huge year for us.
Lastly, what are one or two under the radar selections from your SXSW Festival block that people need to check out?
Our curated showcases, like SXSW stand-up, you might not know the name of everybody in the line-up, but trust me, they’re here for a reason. They’re great at what they do and they’ll be your next new favorite. So if you want to discover somebody that you haven’t heard before or see an unexpected drop-in then definitely check out one of those shows. A cabaret and drag show is something that we’ve never done at SXSW before, so if you’re looking for a totally different type of flavor then that’s going to be happening at Esther’s Follies. And then, just for some good old-fashioned stand-up, bringing Reductress here for the first time just really speaks to audiences here in a different way.
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