Countdown

Aug 6-10, 2025

YBOR CITY, TAMPA

America’s biggest and best improv comedy festival is back for 2025 with more of everything: More shows, more jams, more workshops, more bits, more fun.

Five nights. Four stages. Hundreds of performers. One unmissable festival.

The Countdown Improv Festival, based in Tampa, Florida, is the world’s only improv festival entirely devoted to trio, duo, and solo improv comedy. The best improv festivals are true community events; the Countdown Improv Festival creates a sense of community among all who attend. Come join us and fall in love with improv festivals all over again.

Countdown is more than just a festival: It’s the improv experience of a lifetime.

“There are more opportunities at Countdown than anywhere else for artists to play together, cross-pollinate ideas, and learn from one another.”

Jennifer Lavenhar
Schenectady, N.Y.

“I’ve played in at least 50 improv festivals, and I’ve never seen one so truly joyful about what they’re trying to pull off… In 22 years of performing at improv festivals, I’ve never seen it done better. My hat’s off to CIF, and I can’t wait to do it again.”

Bill Cernansky
Portland, Ore.

“From top to bottom, from the organization to management to staff to performers to venue to crowds to vibes, I have rarely felt more taken care of as a performer and as a teacher. This festival is a treasure.”

Brian James O’Connell
Los Angeles, Calif.

“After 20+ years of improv, this is the greatest festival I’ve been to as a performer, audience member, and workshop attendee. The care Countdown puts into every aspect of festival hospitality is second to none.”

Jess Wyant
Boynton Beach, Fla.

“Countdown Improv Festival is the largest and best improv festival in the country. And even though it’s as big as it is, the producers have planned, curated and structured it in such a way that everyone feels welcomed, acknowledged and valued.”

Diana Brown
San Francisco, Calif.

“There is no question in my mind: Countdown is the festival that cares the most, both about its performers and its audience. This is the only festival I’ve been to that has its own voice; there is a sense of fun that serves as a marinade for every show on the bill.”

Ben Brouckaert
New York, N.Y.

“The Countdown Improv Festival is what festivals should be about: love, fun, collaboration, laughter, good will, discovery, networking, growth, and more. And the Countdown Festival oozes this great stuff.” –Steve Cobb

New for 2025:

Weekend-long improv summit

Three days worth of conversations about the business and practice of improv featuring performers and producers from around the world.

Dedicated stage for improv jams

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we’ll have improv jams kicking off every hour on the hour from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Coffee* in the green room

Performers: We’ve heard you! In 2025 we’re proud to announce that there will indeed be coffee* in the festival green room. Three cheers for coffee*!

And much more!

The Countdown Improv Festival is a project of Countdown Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The Countdown Improv Festival would not be possible without the generous support of its corporate and foundation sponsors, individual donors, and volunteers of all sorts. To learn more about ways to support the festival, please follow the links below.

Donate

Sponsor us

Festival Sponsors

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I apply to Countdown?

Because it’s the best damn improv festival in the country. We think so, at least! The Countdown Improv Festival is a truly performer-focused festival, and we are intent on ensuring that our performers have a good show and a great time. Our goal is to provide the very best performer experience on the improv festival circuit. We try very hard to meet that goal. Founders Justin Peters and Kelly Buttermore are longtime NYC-based touring improvisers who’ve performed hundreds and hundreds of shows all around the world and have headlined dozens of festivals. In creating the Countdown Improv Festival, they vowed to make it the sort of festival that they themselves would want to attend. We are committed to ensuring that our festival represents and reflects the community it serves.

What can I expect if I’m accepted to Countdown?

All performers get free (incredibly soft and stylish) T-shirts; free standby admission to shows; discounted rates at the festival hotel; carefully curated swag bags with plenty of local flavor; a thoughtful and expansive selection of free food and drink in the green rooms; and food at each night’s festival after-party. The festival is covered in all the major local media outlets, and the houses for the shows are reliably full. There are parties every night, and no one feels left out. Everything is walkable. Kelly and Justin will pick you up from the airport, greet you by name, introduce your show personally, and give you everything you need to succeed while at the festival. We do not have headliners and we do not stratify our participants; we welcome and value every performer on the bill. From the moment you arrive in Tampa to the moment you leave, you will feel appreciated, encouraged, and empowered to do your best work.

Where does the festival take place?

The festival is located in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, which is one of the most interesting neighborhoods in the United States. The historical center of Cuban emigré culture in the Tampa Bay region, Ybor City is home to dozens of coffee shops, cigar factories, bars, restaurants, and stray roosters.

Local highlights include the century-old Columbia Restaurant, the world-famous Cuban bread at La Segunda Bakery, the craft beer at Barriehaus Brew Co, the thick Cuban coffee at the redolent King Corona Cigars Bar and Cafe, the skate-punk aesthetic of local cafe The Bricks, and so much more. There’s also a Scientology center nearby, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Who produces the festival?

The Countdown Improv Festival is a production of Countdown Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The founders and executive producers of the Countdown Improv Festival are the New York-based comedians Kelly Buttermore and Justin Peters, who perform together as the improv duo From Justin to Kelly. They are partial owners of the Ybor City comedy space The Commodore. On the festival production team since 2017 has been Dan Deming-Henes of Stranded Creative Ltd. Co. In 2021 Marisa Cutaia and Anthony Francis, who run Improv U and the O-Town Improv Festival in Orlando, joined the production team. In 2023, Chicago improviser Chris George joined the production team.