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It’s that time of year: press releases, tweets and Insta stories are flying about all the fun people are preparing to have at SXSW in Austin, Texas, which this year takes place March 8-17. (Pro tip: Go the first weekend. That’s when all the cool stuff happens, like HBO’s Game of Thrones “Bleed for the Throne” activation presented by Giant Spoon.)
Comedy Central has made SXSW a sort of home away from home for the past few years and this year is no different, with the Viacom-owned network preparing a slew of events that are free for badge-holders.
CC will kick off SXSW with a stand-up comedy show from The Daily Show News Team of Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Dulcé Sloan, Roy Wood, Jr. and Jaboukie Young-White at Esther’s Follies at 525 E 6th Street on Friday, March 8, at 8 p.m. CT, which is really early for anything to happen in Austin.
But cut those guys and gals some slack because they have to be up, er, early-ish, on Saturday to “panel harder than anyone has ever paneled” in a session moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at 12:30 p.m. CT. They’ll discuss today’s hyper-speed news cycle and how they tackle the always-tricky subjects of political, race and social issues. To bone up on all things Daily Show, check out their Emmy-winning Facebook series, Between the Scenes.
Later that night, take in the “420 Show with Matt Besser” at The Hideout Theater with comedians such as Besser, Horatio Sanz, Jon Gabrus and more. Many of those performers plus Illana Glazer, Jessica McKenna and Michaela Watkins will return to Esther’s Follies for a Sunday 8 p.m. performance of Asssscat from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.
All weekend long, SXSW attendees can check out The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library, which must be busting at the seams with presidential tweets at this point. Imagine what will happen if the Mueller Report actually does drop next week? The library will be available for visitation at the Driskill Hotel from Saturday, March 9 through Monday, March 11.
Close out your Comedy Central weekend at SXSW with a screening of the series finale of Broad City on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Zach Theater followed by a Q&A with series creators and stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer. And that night, return to Esther’s Follies to take in one more stand-up show — this time from the New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle.
Weekend two is all about the Backyard Bash at Pelons Tex Mex & Bar 508 Mezcalerita from 12:00-5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16, Come hang out, have a drink, eat some tacos, play some games and take like 400 selfies and post them all to Instagram.