Press Alert: The Largest Black Standup Comedy Festival of The Summer is Coming To Miami Beach

Featuring Esau McGraw, Joe Clair, & Ashima Franklin With A Portion of Ticket Sales Going to Local Miami Teachers

First Responders & South Florida Teachers Get 50% OFF Tickets, Presented By The Miami Takeover in Collaboration With The City of Miami Beach Tourism and Culture Department and The Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA)

Kick-Off Event For The 18th Annual Miami Takeover Will Celebrate Black Standup Comedy, Music & Art Later This Month (July 24th) at the Miami Beach Bandshell

MIAMI BEACH— The Miami Takeover will kick off its four-day urban entertainment beach festival at the iconic Miami Beach Bandshell on Friday, July 24th, 2026 (4 p.m. to 10 p.m.) with The Art of Laughter/Comedy Vybez with an expanded live musical and comedy performance lineup from Washington D.C.’s Top 5 Band, Antfar Music, Quinn & The Jukebox Band and Dee Jay Casper along with newly added R&B singer Latasha Bla’q, who will deliver an incredible Toni Braxton tribute performance. 

Doors open at 4 p.m. and entertainment will begin promptly at 5 p.m. with live art activations from local Miami artist Rodney Royal followed by live musical performances from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. To round out the event, standup comedy sets from the nation’s rising Black standup comedians will be delivered by Esau McGraw, Joe Clair, Tony Woods, Ronnie Jordan, Ashima Franklin, Eddie Bryant, Lawrence Killabrew, Antoine Scott, Maria Sanchez and Howie Bell. 

The festival will be hosted by Miami’s Soul Scene Queen, the incomparable Ingrid B along with the punchline king himself, Spunky Robinson, delivering one of the summer’s most memorable Black standup comedy & live musical festivals in Miami Beach. “The lineup of talent keeps expanding and getting better— this will definitely be a night of entertainment and belly-aching laughter that shouldn’t be missed. The country’s finest Black standup comedians are coming together in one intimate setting to put on a show like no other. This event is for true standup comedy lovers,” said Wylie Kynard, co-founder and partner at The Miami Takeover LLC.

Featured Comedians, Artists & Musicians: 

• Top 5 Band -Washington D.C. based R&B live band known for delivering incredible tributes covering all genres. 
• Quinn & The Jukebox Band – Atlanta’s five-member, live musical band and collective known for delivering unique blends of nonstop mix tape-like R&B and hip hop mixes led by former Blackstreet lead singer and multi-talented Grammy–nominated R&B recording artist, Quinn. 
• Latasha’ Bla’q – Multidimensional recording artist, singer and songwriter based in the DMV will deliver her incredible, high-energy Toni Braxton musical tribute experience at this year’s festival. 
• Ingrid B – Celebrating 25 years of creative genius, she is a driving force as a local producer, cultural curator, event host and well-known in the poetry scene.
• Spunky Robinson – Miami native who debuted on the Miami improv comedy scene nine years ago and through his energetic presence and punchlines has become a staple in the South Florida community. 
• Esau McGraw – McGraw is based in Los Angeles and has performed standup comedy across the country in nearly every major comedy club with several specials featured on HBO, NBC, Comedy Central and TBS. He also has spent time on the big movie screen in Idlewild, a musical crime film led by OutKast rappers and actors, Andre 3000 (Andre’ Benjamin), Big Boi and actor Terrance Howard.
• Joe Clair – American standup comedian, radio personality and actor from the DMV area with over 225,000 followers on Instagram. Original host of BET’s iconic Rap City who has gone on to have breakout performances on HBO Def Comedy Jam, Martin Lawrence’s 1st Amendment Standup Comedy Series on Starz and more. 
• Tony Woods – American comedy writer and stand-up comedian known for being a mentor to Dave Chappelle and is an original member of Russell Simmons‘ Def Comedy Jam and Bad Boys of Comedy.
• Ronnie Jordan – From HBO Bad Boys of Comedy to Kevin Hart’s LOL Special and performing at some of the nation’s most famous comedy clubs including the Laugh Factory in LA, Ronnie is a savvy comedian and actor based in Atlanta. 
• Ashima Franklin – Known as the southern belle of comedy from Alabama, Ashima is a bold comedian, actor, and writer who uses her real life experience as a mom and woman. She has appeared on Showtime, HBO, the OWN Network and Netflix’s newest trending “Super funny Comedy with Nate Jackson” crowd work special and is known for delivering hilarious standup sets women can relate to.
• Eddie Bryant – Comedian from Washington D.C. who’s been featured on BET, Magic Johnson’s Aspire, TVOne, and Starz television network and toured with Charlie Wilson, Macy Gray, and Charlie Murphy to name a few. 
• Lawrence Killabrew – American standup comedian, actor, producer known for his hilarious humor and hard work. He is also the hilarious host of Plastic Cup Boyz with two comedy albums, “Comedy Hustle” and “Comedy Hustle Live 2” under his belt that have ranked number one on iTunes in the comedy albums category. 
• Antoine Scott – Comedian and actor who has shared stages and screens with some of the best comedians including D.L. Hughley, Monique, Kevin Hart, Earthquake, Tony Rock, Bill Bellamy, Tracy Morgan and more. 
• Maria Sanchez – Breakout comedian and content creator from Baltimore known for delivering compelling and hilarious stories that is on her way to becoming a staple in the entertainment industry.
• Howie Bell – Veteran stand up comedian born and raised in Detroit that has delivered incredible standup comedy acts at LA’s iconic Laugh factory, HBO specials, and Def Comedy Jam to name a few. He was also a leading comedic actor on Will Packard’s ‘Almost Christmas’ movie, which received three NAACP Image Award nominations. 

This year’s festival will offer attendees an incredible opportunity to enjoy a captivating and thought-provoking visual art experience from Miami’s very own talented visual artist, Rodney Royal, who is bringing his explosive solo art exhibit to Miami Beach for one night only. “His artwork is known for celebrating Black identity, culture, community and historical Black comedians. This exhibit is made possible through our collaboration with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) and the Art of Black,” Kynard stated.

Art sales proceeds from this event will support the One R.O.Y.A.L. Effect Foundation, which empowers youth through arts education, academic tutoring, and social-emotional support while fostering community growth by providing literacy, math, and creative programs to youth in the South Miami area. “Supporting talented local Black artists is one of the pillars of the Miami Takeover and this event offers a great opportunity to purchase some of Rodney’s incredible artwork,” Kynard stated. 

Attendees are encouraged to dress in their flyest summer ensembles and get early bird tickets while they are on sale for a limited time on Eventbrite. Must be 21 years of age to purchase tickets or enter the venue.

ABOUT THE MIAMI TAKEOVER

The Miami Takeover (MTO) is a Washington, D.C.based event production company specializing in cultural, travel and entertainment experiences across the U.S. Now in its 18th year, MTO’s signature cultural summer festival returns to Miami Beach July 24–27, 2026 and will fuse culture, music, art, nightlife and community service into one of the most talked-about summer beach festivals in the country. Visit www.themiamitakeover.com for exclusive hotel packages and event tickets. Follow The Miami Takeover on Instagram, Tik-Tok, and Facebook for the latest updates.

MEDIA CONTACT
Sa******@*******PR.com

MEDIA PHOTOS & VIDS

GET TIXS HERE