Think of it as the second half of your March Madness bracket. Sixteen brand new comedians arrive this Saturday, November 14, at 8 PM, as the 46th annual Seattle International Comedy Competition returns to the North Bend Theatre for its second and final local round.
Part tournament, part endurance test, the competition sends 32 comedians crisscrossing Western Washington, performing night after night before judges and audiences. Round One’s field has already come through town. Now a completely new group gets its turn, and only a handful will survive to the semifinals.
This week’s field has enough unusual résumés to launch several sitcoms. Meet a former TV quiz kid who became a rodeo doctor before turning to stand-up. A Canadian headliner who doubles as a world-class yo-yo performer. A mental health therapist who treats anxiety by day and mines her own for punchlines at night. An Enumclaw grandmother who took up stand-up in 2019 as her youngest was leaving home and has since appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show. A comic raised in Washington towns so tiny that he just says Chehalis, the nearest “big city”.
Unlike a traditional comedy tour, the audience helps decide who advances. Every show matters, and so does every laugh.
“You never know which comedian is about to break through,” said Beth Burrows, owner of the North Bend Theatre. “The next time you see one of these comics might be on Netflix.”
Seattle International Comedy Competition
North Bend Theatre
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 8 PM, Doors @ 7 PM
Tickets and information: https://northbendtheatre.com
It’s a rare kind of live entertainment, one with real stakes. No filters. No algorithms. No second takes. Just sixteen comedians, a microphone, and a room full of strangers to win over. After Saturday, the competition leaves the Valley for the semifinals and the finals on November 29 in Bellingham.
