Sponsorship

THE NATION’S OFFICIAL CULTURAL INSTITUTION FOR COMEDY

Join Us and Support the National Comedy Center’s Mission

Together, we made it happen right here in Jamestown, NY. We built one of the most interactive and immersive attractions in the world — the only national-scale museum and non-profit cultural institution where laughter fills the halls and comedy’s greatest legends live forever.

This is a place where the art form of comedy is celebrated, honored and preserved. And where visitors — who come from all 50 U.S. states and 27 countries — are inspired, surprised, educated and entertained by our state-of-the-art destination.

We continue to receive rave reviews from guests, who rate us with the highest score on TripAdvisor (5/5), and the accolades from national media are outstanding: named the “Best New Museum” in the country by USA Today, one of the world’s greatest places by TIME magazine, one of “100 Reasons to Love America” by People magazine and a “25 Top Family Weekend Getaway in the U.S.” by U.S. News & World Report on a list with Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Group Tour Magazine just named us one of “America’s Top Cultural Institutions for student groups.”

We are poised for even greater success in the years ahead, and look to friends like you to join our mission by becoming a National Comedy Center partner. Not only will you be aligning yourself with our brand, but you’ll also become part of a community of people and organizations who are working to deliver powerful economic impact for our region.

PARTNER WITH US

Help Us Drive Real Economic Impact for Our Region

The National Comedy Center has been featured in major national media outlets reaching millions of viewers nationwide, including NBC’s TODAY Show, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS Radio, ABC News, and The New York Times.

We’re proud to be the permanent home for archival collections from legendary artists including Johnny Carson, George Carlin, Carl Reiner, Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Laugh-In creator George Schlatter, The Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, and many more – all of whom now have their work and legacies preserved within the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art form of comedy.

None of this would be possible without partners and friends like you. If you’ve supported our non-profit cultural institution by becoming a sponsor, making a donation or joining as a member — WE THANK YOU. If you haven’t yet joined our efforts, we invite you to become a part of our vital mission.

With your sponsorship support, the National Comedy Center is driving real economic impact to the people who live, work and play in our region. Our local restaurants, hotels, AirBnBs, VRBOs, retail shops and neighboring attractions welcome National Comedy Center visitors to their businesses daily — with 92% of these visitors coming from outside our county and over 86% who say that they are likely to return to the Comedy Center again in the coming years.

Partnering with the National Comedy Center offers a broad-reach, high-impact opportunity to put your organization and brand in front of visitors to the National Comedy Center and Lucy Desi Museum with sustained branding throughout the year, as well as a major promotional presence during our high-profile Lucille Ball Comedy Festival — the most exciting and compelling live comedy programming in our region and one of the most important comedy festivalsin the nation.

SHOWCASING COMEDY’S GREATEST TALENT

The National Comedy Center is proud to present the 2026 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, taking place August 6–9, 2026, in Jamestown, New York. The four-day celebration will feature a dynamic lineup of acclaimed stand-up comedians, comedy legends, and standout voices shaping the future of the art form.

Festival programming will include headline performances from some of the biggest names in the industry, along with rising stand-ups that reflect comedy’s breadth, creativity, and cultural impact.

The 2025 festival featured headliners Jon Stewart and Bill Murray, plus SNL head writer Streeter Seidell and cast member James Austin Johnson. Previous headliners have included Jerry Seinfeld, Trevor Noah, Nate Bargatze, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Taylor Tomlinson, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Jeff Foxworthy, Nicole Byer, Jay Leno, Margaret Cho, Amy Schumer, Sebastian Maniscalco, W. Kamau Bell, David Spade, Jim Gaffigan, Paula Poundstone, Joan Rivers, Kevin Nealon, The Smothers Brothers — and more than 300 comedic artists.

In addition to marquee performances, the festival will present stand-up showcases, comedy late night shows, family comedy, outdoor block parties, live music, and Lucy legacy events as we mark the 75^th anniversary of I Love Lucy — over 50 events over four days.

Now in its 36th year, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival continues to fulfill Lucille Ball’s vision of Jamestown as a destination that celebrates comedy’s rich legacy while spotlighting emerging talent. Since its founding in 1991, the festival has attracted visitors from nearly all 50 states and generated hundreds of millions of media impressions nationwide, delivering lasting cultural and economic impact for the region. Headliners for 2026 will be announced in the coming months.

Nationwide Brand Outreach and Media Attention

The National Comedy Center connects with comedy fans nationwide via online programming initiatives and media profiles from major media outlets across the country.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

During the pandemic, the National Comedy Center launched its award-winning Lucille Ball Virtual Comedy Festival — an online comedy programming series featuring 30 major artists in conversations about the art of comedy, which streamed online, for free, to comedy fans from coast to coast from the Center’s digital platform, National Comedy Center Anywhere, and via Facebook Live. The virtual festival generated over 979,000,000 media impressions with over 281,000 minutes of content viewed. These programs are still available for viewing at ComedyCenter.org/Anywhere.

FEATURED IN NATIONAL MEDIA

The National Comedy Center was featured by major national media outlets reaching millions of viewers nationwide, including NBC’s TODAY show, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS Saturday Morning, and The New York Times.

YES, I WANT TO BE A SPONSOR!

Please Contact:

National Comedy Center
[email protected]
(716) 484-2222

Tailored sponsorship packages are available as well — contact us to learn more.

The National Comedy Center is bringing visitors from all over the country and generating media attention nationwide. We are driving economic impact for our community – our restaurants, retailers, hotels, and attractions. None of this is possible without your support. YOUR sponsorship makes it all happen.