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Photos courtesy of Big Sky Comedy Festival
Five Nights of Laughs and Competition at the 2025 Big Sky Comedy Festival
Billings is about to get hilarious. From October 7 to 11, 2025, the Big Sky Comedy Festival returns for its 11th annual event, bringing 24 handpicked comedians from across the U.S. (and beyond) to seven venues and ten shows all over town.
What makes Big Sky stand out? It’s not just a showcase; it’s a full-on comedy competition. Out of hundreds of applicants, only 24 comedians were selected to split into teams, Team Seely and Team Auggie, led by hometown star Auggie Smith and Lukas Seely. Over the course of ten shows at classic Billings venues like The Red Door, High Horse, Monte Carlo, and The Highlands, comics battle it out in qualifying rounds before the top eight advance to the finale at the Alberta Bair Theater. There, an industry panel representing CBS, NBC, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and even Carnival & Norwegian Cruise Lines decides who will be crowned Most Valuable Performer (MVP). The winner earns their own comedy special produced by Open Bar Comedy, a huge launchpad for any comic’s career.
Festival producer Auggie Smith knows the comedy world inside out. A Billings native, he’s been making a living in stand-up since 1992. His great-grandfather immigrated from Ireland and settled here, and Auggie himself was raised in Billings. He built his early following through appearances on The Bob & Tom Show, where his Montana stories resonated with listeners across the country. Years later, alongside Will Willcocks, he came up with the idea to host a comedy competition back home, and the Big Sky Comedy Festival was born.
What started with open mics at the Monte Carlo has grown into one of the top comedy events in America, known for its originality and local flavor. Festival favorites like Ladies of Laughter (this year benefiting the nonprofit 100 Strong) and the wildly popular Comics Under the Influence keep the lineup fresh, while new additions like road shows in Red Lodge and Laurel expand the reach beyond Billings.
For Auggie, the festival is about more than shows, it’s about community. Big Sky prides itself on being the most comic-friendly festival in the country, with comedians fed, housed, and invited into activities that build connections. Each year, Auggie also brings comics to perform at Passages, a residential program through Alternatives, Inc. “It’s one of the most beautiful and fulfilling shows I do,” he shared.
Eight months of work go into pulling it all off, but for Auggie, the joy is in showcasing Billings and letting both comics and locals experience something unforgettable. “We work really hard on bringing this to you,” he said. “One of the best comedy shows happening in America is happening right here in Billings, Montana.”
With qualifying shows starting at just $15, and a finale that fills the historic Alberta Bair Theater, there’s no better date night than the Big Sky Comedy Festival. All tickets, including single-show passes and festival passes, are on sale now at bigskycomedy.com. Don’t wait, this is Billings’ biggest week of laughs, and it sells out fast.
