JAMESTOWN – One of the largest summertime economic drivers for the City of Jamestown has been postponed due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions.
Leadership with the National Comedy Center announced Thursday that the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is rescheduled to August 2021.
In a email to subscribers, organizers said the decision is a precautionary measure following consideration of federal, state and regional guidelines for the presentation of large group events.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we make the difficult decision to reschedule our Lucille Ball Comedy Festival – for the first time in our nearly 30 year history,” said National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson. “We are grateful for the patience, understanding and continued support of our festival attendees, sponsors, volunteers and staff, and our Jamestown and Chautauqua County community during this challenging time.”
“We do not make this decision lightly, understanding that our annual festival draws attendees from over 40 U.S. states and not only has a direct effect on the revenue of our non-profit cultural institution but also affects the business of local hotels, restaurants, attractions and event venues, and retailers throughout our community. We look forward to presenting an outstanding comedy festival experience here in Jamestown in August 2021, as we officially celebrate the festival’s 30th anniversary.”
Current ticket holders will have their tickets transferred automatically to the same shows and events for the 2021 festival, unless they choose a different option.
Ticket holders can:
- Transfer tickets to the same shows and events for the 2021 festival. New ticket will automatically be issued to ticket holders within the next several weeks.
- Donate the value of their tickets to the non-profit National Comedy Center as a tax-deductible contribution during this critical time.
- Exchange the value of their tickets for a National Comedy Center gift card to be used for admission, membership, future event tickets or merchandise.
- Receive a full refund for their ticket purchase by selecting this option by July 15, 2020.
Ticket holders can select their preferred option via the Comedy Center’s Ticketing form at ComedyCenter.org/TicketForm.
The full statement from the National Comedy Center team is posted below:
Dear Friends and Festival Ticket Holders,
It is with tremendous sadness and disappointment that we announce the rescheduling of the National Comedy Center’s Lucille Ball Comedy Festival from this August to August 2021 in order to ensure the health and safety of festival attendees, staff and volunteers during the ongoing COVID-19 situation. This precautionary measure has been taken in consideration of CDC, federal, state and regional guidelines for the presentation of large group events.
The new festival dates will fall on the same weekend in 2021: August 4-8, 2021. Festival performances by comedian Jeff Foxworthy have been rescheduled for Friday, August 6, 2021 and the Legends of SNL: David Spade, Kevin Nealon and Rob Schneider performance has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 7, 2021. All other comedy performances and Lucy legacy events have also been rescheduled for the corresponding day and time in 2021 as well. A schedule of events is available at ComedyCenter.org/Festival. More festival events will be added in the coming months.
If you have purchased festival tickets, your tickets will be transferred automatically to the same shows, events, and reserved seats for the 2021 festival, unless you choose a different option by Wednesday, July 15, 2020. Ticket holders will have several options to consider.
Those wishing to purchase new tickets for 2021 festival events including Jeff Foxworthy and Legends of SNL, without holding existing tickets for 2020, can do so by visiting ComedyCenter.org/Festival beginning Monday, June 15, 2020.
Although the festival will not be taking place this summer as originally planned, the National Comedy Center will be bringing comedy fans together virtually by presenting a series of online programs and streaming comedy events throughout the summer, including programming to be streamed during the original comedy festival weekend. These events will debut on the Comedy Center’s new online content platform, National Comedy Center Anywhere. Look for more details on our website and social media platforms in the coming weeks.
The National Comedy Center does plan to re-open its state-of-the-art comedy museum and Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum this summer with enhanced health, cleaning, disinfecting and social distancing protocols — reimagining museum health and safety with the same spirit, commitment and leading-edge technology with which it reinvented the museum visitor experience — once Western New York is given the green light to re-open cultural institutions. We will provide updates on our re-opening date via our website, social media platforms and email newsletter.
We are grateful for your patience, understanding and continued support of the National Comedy Center and the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival during this challenging time.
We look forward to presenting an outstanding comedy festival experience here in Jamestown in August 2021, as we officially celebrate the festival’s 30th anniversary.
Sincerely,
The National Comedy Center Team
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