A 24-year-old talked his father into bankrolling a comedy club in 1986, and four decades later it is the longest-running comedy club in Texas. Bart Reed's Comic Strip opened on 18 February 1986 at 6633 North Mesa in El Paso, moved to Gateway Boulevard after its first twenty years to follow the city's eastward growth, and now operates at 1201 Airway Boulevard in the Airway Junction Shopping Center, minutes from El Paso International Airport. The club is a showcase room in the classic sense - professional touring headliners rather than open-mic roulette - and its walls have collected an extraordinary roll call: Dave Chappelle, Jim Carrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Tim Allen, Ray Romano, George Lopez, Gabriel Iglesias, Bill Hicks, Tracy Morgan, Lewis Black, Jeff Dunham, Tommy Chong, Mitch Hedberg-era road warriors and just about every Latino comedy star who tours the border circuit. Comedy Ink Magazine has named it the best comedy club in Texas, and it routinely tops El Paso "best of" polls. The room itself holds about 250 in the tight, low-lit configuration that stand-up thrives on, with a full bar and food service to the tables. Recent upgrades added an outdoor patio and an improved green room, but the formula is unchanged since the Reagan administration: shows Thursday through Sunday, a new headliner every week, two seatings on the weekend nights. Founder Bart Reed - a theatre kid turned self-described "laugh pimp" - still runs the operation, making the club a rarity in an industry of chains: a single-owner, single-room institution that has survived four decades of format changes, cable specials and streaming by simply putting working comics in front of border-town crowds every weekend. Practical notes: seating is first-come within ticket tiers, most shows are 18 and over with a two-item minimum typical of the format, and the Airway location puts it five minutes from the airport hotels and an easy drive from anywhere on the east side. Local showcases and special events - including tapings and comedy festivals - dot the calendar between touring weeks.

Type: Bar / Pub

Address: 1201 Airway Boulevard, El Paso, TX, United States, 79925

Telephone: (915) 779-5233

Website: https://www.laff2nite.com

Open Days: Thu-Sun

Minimum Age: 18

Cover Charge: 1

Capacity: 250

Opening Date: 18/02/1986

Serves Food

Outdoor Area