Three evenings of laughs, chuckles and all-out guffaws are side-splitting their way to the Jersey Shore this weekend as the second annual Asbury Park Comedy Fest kicks off on Aug. 23.
The festival will be held at three venues across Asbury Park and Neptune on the evenings of Aug. 23, 24 and 26.
The opening-night kickoff party starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Wonder Bar on Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park with adult comedy from several of the industry’s top talents. As the night rolls on, live music jams will abound. Nick Clemons, son of the legendary E Street Band sax-man Clarence Clemons, will play tunes with his band and surprise guests.
The comedy festival continues nearby on Aug. 24 at the Paramount Theatre, located on the Asbury Park boardwalk. This year’s main event features heavy-hitter Hal Sparks, star of “Queer as Folk,” “Lab Rats” and former host of the E! network’s “Talk Soup.” New Jersey native Sunda Croonquist will also take the stage alongside funny-man Purnell Holloway.
After taking a one-day breather, the Asbury Park Comedy Fest will reassemble on Aug. 26 for one last hurrah in the form of a celebrity golf outing at the Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune. Included in the registration fee are driving range and golf cart access, a souvenir gift bag, a luncheon at noon, a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start, contests and an open-bar awards dinner. Comedian Ryan Maher will host the event. Tickets for the Aug. 23 show are $5 and are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Wonder Bar.
Presale tickets for the Aug. 24 comedy show are available through www.ticketmaster.com and at the Stone Pony and Asbury Park boardwalk box offices. Tickets for this show range from $20 to $75.
Golfers can call 732-948-2491 to sign up for the celebrity golf outing.
For more information, log on to www.asburyparkcomedyfest.com.