America’s biggest and best improv comedy festival turns 10 in 2026! To celebrate, we’re bringing you 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.
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.
2026 Festival Sponsors
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I come to Countdown?
Because it’s the biggest and best damn improv festival in the country. 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 nationally renowned 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 come to Countdown?
Point blank: You’ll have the best improv experience of your year. The shows are fun, the workshops are great, the merch is on point, and the camaraderie is unparalleled. 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, and the one-time center of cigar production in the United States, Ybor City is home to dozens of coffee and cigar shops, 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 King Corona Cigars Bar and Cafe, the many historically relevant mutual aid societies such as the Cuban Club, the Italian Club, and Centro Asturiano, and so much more.
Who produces the festival?
The Countdown Improv Festival is a production of Countdown Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The founders of the Countdown Improv Festival are the nationally renowned improv comedians Kelly Buttermore and Justin Peters, who perform together as the duo From Justin to Kelly. They are partial owners of the Ybor City comedy space The Commodore. Buttermore and Peters also executive-produce the festival. alongside Dan Deming-Henes of Stranded Creative Ltd. Co. In 2023, Chicago improvisers Charlotte Brown and Chris George joined the technical and production teams, respectively. In 2025, Dan Luzer of New York City and Dan Row of Madison, Wisconsin, joined the production team. We love Dans here at Countdown!
Got questions? Feel free to reach out.