By Selena Reyes
Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids is beginning its 13th annual LaughFest presented by Gun Lake Casino on Wednesday, March 8. The community-wide comedy festival will host multiple events at Grand Rapids venues, with additional events scheduled in Holland, Lowell, and Wayland at the Gun Lake Casino.
This year’s Laughfest will include nearly 50 ticketed and free comedic performances where patrons can attend a unique lineup of shows. Some events to choose from will feature content such as, “clean adult laughs”, to “anything goes” like adult rated content which is up to the creativity of the artist, to even more family friendly events.
To kick off the festivities on Wednesday, families looking to enjoy a night at the museum along with a comedy show, the Grand Rapids Public Museum will open its doors at 6 p.m. for guests to wander through its halls while waiting for the show to begin at 7 p.m. Other events going on that night include a Cancer Survivor showcase starting at 7 p.m. at Midtown, and headliner D.J Demers will be at the Special Olympics Michigan Unified Sports & Inclusion Center beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Those interested in the free activities going on during the festival will have a chance to attend an All Y’all Comedy Showcase featuring a diverse set of comedians on Friday, Mar. 10 at 1504 Plainfield Ave. starting at 9:30 p.m. There will also be a family improv workshop on Saturday, Mar. 11 at the Gilda’s Club at 11 a.m and a Sunday Night Funnies, a local standup show at the Spectrum Entertainment Complex on Sunday, Mar. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
The BOB is also hosting one of the Laughfest events called Clean Comedy, a stand up where 6 performers will focus on adult content as well but with no vulgarity or profanity. However, certain topics can still be considered “suggestive.”
Event headliners include Tig Notaro, Pete Holmes, Daphnique Springs, Mike Vecchione, and locally renowned performers. Notaro’s show is sold out, but tickets remain for the other events going on this weekend. Tickets are available online.
The Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids mission statement is to, “provide free emotional healthcare to children, adults, families, and friends on any kind of cancer journey or those grieving the death of someone in their life due to any cause.” The organization is a locally-funded nonprofit and Laughfest is held annually, intended to celebrate laughter and raise awareness for the club and their free emotional support services offered. All proceeds from Gilda’s LaughFest and LaughFest’s High Five Campaign benefit Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids.
