It was 1975, and comedian Jose Simon had a dream. Barbra Streisand did it. A number of rock 'n' roll bands had done it, too. Even the symphony gave it a go. Free outdoor concerts were becoming more commonplace in music. So, why not one featuring comedians? A free outdoor performance in The City that is considered the cradle of civilization for comedy would be a great way for local comedians to say thank you to their fans.

It took a few years and a lot of cooperation from a lot of people to make it happen, but since 1981 nearly 1,000 of the world's funniest comedians have performed free-of-charge for more than a 500,000 people at the Original. Longest-Running, FREE, Outdoor Comedy Concert in the World. It started in the Golden Gate Park Music Concourse (affectionately known as the Band Shell), moved to the Polo Fields in 1987 to accommodate larger crowds and, for the past 20 or so years, has found a home in Robin Williams Meadow (formerly Sharon Meadow).

San Francisco's professional comedy community joins together each year to support this highly-entertaining, five-hour show. The Punch Line, Cobb's Comedy Club, SF Sketchfest, and others help make Comedy Day the most anticipated comedy event of the year.

A small sampling of comedians who've performed at previous events include: Robin WIlliams, Bobby Slayton, Brian Copeland, Greg Proops, Brian Regan, Jake Johannsen, Kathleen Madigan, Dave Chappell the Sklar Brothers, Will Durst, Diane Amos, Kevin Meany, Father Guido Sarducci, Dana Gould, Arj Barker, Mark Curry, George Lopez, Gary Shandling, Tom Rhodes, Sabrina Matthews, Tom Kenny, Hal Sparks, Bill Burr, A. Whitney Brown, Paula Poundstone, Pat Paulsen, Sue Murphy, Bobcat Goldthwait, Johnny Steele, Carlos Alazraqui, Dave Attell, Greg Behrendt, and many, many others!

Many nationally known comedians perform at Comedy Day. When in town and available, they support Comedy Day with a surprise appearance. We hope to have one or two of them back in the future: Dana Carvey, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Cho, Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Pollak, George Wallace, Janeane Garofalo, and Eddie Izzard.

The State of California and The City support it, too. The Governor of California, San Francisco's Mayor's Office, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Former California State Senator Mark Leno, Former California State Assembly member Tom Ammiano, Pat Paulsen Vineyards, NBC Bay Area TV, SF Sketchfest, FunCheapSF, Reality Check TV, The Punch Line San Francisco, Cobb’s Comedy Club, Kabob Trolley, San Franpsycho, San Francisco Grants for the Arts and many other organizations all contribute generously to Comedy Day.

Comedy Day is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax deductible. Our tax ID number is: 94-2945255.

Comedy Day also provides outreach programs. Comedy workshops teaching conflict resolution through the use of humor are available for Bay Area public schools throughout the year. We can also arrange for comedians to perform for charitable organizations/benefits, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and hospices throughout the Bay Area.

Comedy Day has no salaried administrative staff and relies solely on the efforts of our volunteers. We derive income from donors, vendors, sponsors and SF Grants for the Arts. Please patronize our benefactors! Thank you.

In memory of Jose Simon, Founder of Comedy Day