Comedian Booking Market Notes for New York
New York's stand-up scene is the deepest in North America. Mainstream anchors are the Comedy Cellar (MacDougal), Gotham Comedy Club (Chelsea), Carolines on Broadway legacy circuit (now routed through Stand Up NY and the West Side Comedy Club), New York Comedy Club, and the Brooklyn alt-scene at Union Hall, Littlefield, and Threes Brewing. The South Asian and Punjabi-language stand-up vertical has its strongest US presence here: Hasan Minhaj headlines Carnegie Hall and Beacon Theatre runs; Russell Peters books MSG and Prudential; Zakir Khan, Vir Das, Kanan Gill, Biswa Kalyan Rath, and Kenny Sebastian all route through NYC on every US tour. Punjabi-language stand-up (Jaspreet Singh, Hardeep Singh) pulls strong from Hicksville LI and Edison-Iselin NJ. Catch Movement books across mainstream English (Just for Laughs alumni, Netflix specials tier), Hindi and Punjabi-language comics, and Bangladeshi and Urdu-language stand-up for the Queens and Brooklyn diaspora communities. Fee bands: open-mic and developing acts (15-min spots), $100-$400; established local headliners (45-60 min sets), $1,500-$5,000; touring national English headliners, $8,000-$25,000; named SA comedians on tour (Hasan Minhaj, Zakir Khan tier), $15,000-$60,000 plus travel; arena-tier acts (Russell Peters, Vir Das at the Beacon-MSG ceiling) quoted on production. Corporate, college (NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, Rutgers), and private bookings pay a 30-60% premium over public-show rates for clean-material guarantees. For private SA wedding or sangeet comedy interludes (20-30 min before the DJ), $3,500-$10,000 is the working New York range.
Can I book a Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati, or Bangladeshi-language comedian for a New York corporate or private show?▼
Yes — NYC has the strongest US demand for SA-language stand-up at corporate diversity events, university shows at NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, and Rutgers, and private community shows across Edison, Hicksville, and Jackson Heights. Catch Movement maintains a roster of 25-30 Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, and Bangladeshi-language comedians who route through NYC, including tour-stop bookings of named acts.
Do you book the Comedy Cellar, Beacon Theatre, or Carnegie Hall directly for comedy runs in New York?▼
We route shows INTO NYC venues (negotiating with the room's booker, the Comedy Cellar's house process, or the Beacon and Carnegie Hall ticketing/production teams on your behalf) for promoter clients. We don't replace the club's in-house booking — but for non-club shows (corporate, college, private SA community shows, hotel ballroom events in Edison or Iselin), we handle the full booking, contract, rider, and load-in directly with the comic and venue.
What's the typical lead time to book a touring SA comedian for New York?▼
12-20 weeks for a confirmed East Coast routing (NYC is typically the anchor stop), longer (6-9 months) for top-tier names like Hasan Minhaj, Zakir Khan, or Vir Das whose US tours sell out fast. For corporate shows with a flexible date window, we can sometimes lock a tour stop within 4-6 weeks if the comic is already routing through Boston or DC that month — NYC is the natural pivot for any East Coast leg.
How much does it cost to book a stand-up comedian in New York?▼
Local opening acts in New York run $200–$1,000. Regional features are typically $1,500–$5,000. Touring headliners and TV-known comics are quoted on request based on routing and exclusivity. Corporate / private bookings carry a premium over public-show rates.
Can you book Punjabi or South Asian comedians for New York?▼
Yes — booking Punjabi-language and South Asian comedy is one of our most-requested categories in New York. We work with comics across the Akaash Singh / Russell Peters / Punjabi-market tier as well as emerging local SA talent.
How fast can you confirm a comic for a New York date?▼
Quotes back within 24 hours when we have routing visibility. For dates 4+ weeks out we typically confirm within 5–7 business days; same-week / short-notice bookings depend on whether a comic is already routing through New York.
Do you book corporate and private comedy shows?▼
Yes. Corporate and private clients in New York regularly book us for holiday parties, conferences, fundraisers, and weddings. We brief the comic on the audience and tone so the set lands clean for your group.
What's included in your booking service?▼
Comic shortlist + indicative fees, contract, technical and hospitality riders, day-of advance, and travel coordination. You stay focused on programming and venue; we handle the artist-facing operations.