Moontower Comedy Festival delayed to 2028 due to Paramount Theatre renovations

AUSTIN, Texas - Sorry, comedy fans, but you'll have to wait for over a year for another Moontower Comedy Festival.

The festival will not be coming back for 2027 due to ongoing renovations to the historic Paramount Theatre.

What they're saying:

Moontower Comedy said in a statement to social media that its festival will be returning in April 2028.

"Moontower Comedy Festival is taking a lil break in 2027 while the Paramount gets a glow up," the organization said in the statement. "We just can't give you the full fest experience right now, and you deserve that. And we deserve to work on ourselves. We just really need to focus on renovations right now."

The organization also highlighted in the post that it has year-round programming at the State Theatre next door and at venues across Austin.

Paramount Theatre renovations

The backstory:

The Paramount Theatre closed in June for a major nearly year-long restoration, the first one for the theatre in more than 50 years.

Small changes include: improved accessibility to expanded restrooms and the concession areas. Whereas larger changes will include replacing the theatre’s 1,300 seats, which are nearly 50 years old.

It will receive modern upgrades but will still keep historic details intact, like the decorative gold end caps on the aisle seats.

The project will also complete a part of the original 1915 design that never finished a third-floor ballroom space that will become a new lounge.

The theater’s sound, lighting, and audiovisual systems will receive a major upgrade.

The Paramount team will still hold events at the State Theatre and other events around Austin during the 11-month closure.

If you'd like to support them in the fundraising effort, click here.