The decision reverses earlier plans. When construction began in June, Alliance President Jim Ritts told the Chronicle that Moontower would keep its April 2027 dates even without the Paramount, relying on the State Theatre, club shows, and other venues for headliners. The alliance has now confirmed that the festival will go dark for the year instead.

The 2028 edition will also lack its second-largest venue: the State Theatre is in the middle of a 14-month construction project of its own. The Paramount and State are undergoing a multiyear, $55 million renovation.

Founded in 2012 as the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival, the event quickly established Austin as a comedy destination, drawing national headliners such as Aziz Ansari, Steven Wright, Maria Bamford, and Seth Meyers while giving local talent like Matt Bearden and Chris Cubas a stage. After a pandemic hiatus in 2020, the festival partnered with Just For Laughs in 2021 as Moontower Just For Laughs Austin; when the Canadian festival declared bankruptcy in 2024, the Austin event reverted to the Moontower Comedy name.

The 2027 hiatus will be only the second year the festival has gone dark. Its absence will be felt beyond the Paramount and State: Moontower regularly books shows at the Creek & the Cave, the Velveeta Room, Fallout Theater, and the now-closed Hideout, and the April event typically brings a boost to downtown hotels, bars, and restaurants during the post-South by Southwest lull.

Comedy programming at the State will continue in the meantime. Upcoming shows include a live recording of the Watch What Crappens podcast on Nov. 13, a Master Pancake screening of Jingle All the Way on Dec. 16, and Janeane Garofalo performing Jan. 8-9. Texas native Jason Salmon (Dec. 10-11) and Austin's Jiaoying Summers (Jan. 16) will record specials at the State. Tickets and information are available at austintheatre.org/moontower-comedy.