Carolines on Broadway

What Carolines on Broadway does

Carolines on Broadway is a privately held comedy club venue located in Times Square, New York City, founded by Caroline Hirsch. The company operates a single physical entertainment venue delivering live stand-up comedy performances featuring headline and emerging comedians, and serves individual adults, groups, and tourists seeking live entertainment experiences in the heart of Manhattan. The company was founded around 1995 at its current Times Square location and has operated continuously for approximately 30 years, building a recognized brand in the New York comedy market.

The business operates an event-driven go-to-market model centered on ticketed live performances, with tickets sold at the door and online. Revenue streams include individual show ticket sales (general admission and reserved seating), group sales, and private event bookings for corporate events and parties. The company maintains an active presence across Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter), and uses email newsletter marketing to drive bookings. A core strategic partnership with the New York Comedy Festival anchors its annual programming calendar.

From a business model standpoint, Carolines is a venue-based live entertainment operator with no disclosed technology platform, proprietary software, or AI/ML capabilities. Its competitive positioning rests on brand legacy, prime Times Square real estate, and talent relationships rather than technology or scalable distribution. The company is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries, and operates within a single geographic market (NYC).

Name

Carolines on Broadway

Legal name

Carolines on Broadway

Website

https://carolines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carolines on Broadway is a privately held comedy club in Times Square, New York City, operating since approximately 1995. Founded by Caroline Hirsch, it delivers live stand-up comedy performances, group sales, and private events to individual entertainment seekers, tourists, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Comedy Club & Showcase Nights (MPAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH), Comedy Shows & Spoken-Word Events (THAJAFAC), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Live comedy shows
• Comedy club venue
• Stand-up performances
• Private event hosting
• Comedy festival hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Live Comedy Show Tickets: Revenue generated from ticket sales for live comedy performances at the Times Square venue. Customers purchase tickets to attend scheduled shows featuring stand-up comedians.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carolines on Broadway is a live comedy club venue located in Times Square, New York City, that sells tickets to scheduled stand-up comedy performances featuring headline and emerging comedians. Beyond regular ticketed shows, it offers private and group event bookings for corporate functions, parties, and group outings, and serves as a host venue for the annual New York Comedy Festival.

Product overview

Carolines on Broadway is a comedy club venue in Times Square, New York, offering live stand-up comedy performances. The company provides general admission and special event tickets, group sales and private event bookings, and participates in the annual New York Comedy Festival. As a venue-based entertainment service rather than a software product, the company operates with an informational website for ticket sales and event inquiries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carolines on Broadway Comedy Shows Live stand-up comedy performances featuring headline and emerging comedians at the Times Square venue, with general admission and reserved seating options for individual patrons and groups.
• Group Sales and Private Events Private event booking service for corporate events, parties, and group outings held at the Carolines on Broadway venue.
• Ticket Sales Online purchasing of admission tickets to scheduled comedy shows at the Times Square venue.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• New York Comedy FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarolines on Broadway hosts and partners with the New York Comedy Festival, an annual comedy event. The festival website is linked from Carolines' homepage, indicating a co-promotional and operational partnership for comedy events.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• The Comedy Cellar: The Comedy Cellar is an iconic New York City comedy club in Greenwich Village featuring nightly stand-up performances by established and emerging comedians. It is a direct competitor to Carolines on Broadway in the NYC live stand-up comedy market with a similar standalone-venue, multi-show-nightly model.
• The Comedy Store: The Comedy Store is a landmark Los Angeles comedy club presenting nightly stand-up, known for its long history and role in launching major comedy careers. Comparable to Carolines as a marquee, legacy single-market comedy venue with ticketed live performances.
• Funny Bone Comedy Club: Funny Bone is a regional comedy club operator with multiple venues across the U.S. offering stand-up comedy, food, and beverage service. Comparable to Carolines in core live comedy product and ticketed venue model, with broader geographic spread.
• Laugh Factory: Laugh Factory is a multi-location comedy club chain with a flagship in Hollywood and additional venues, presenting nightly stand-up shows. It is comparable to Carolines as a tier-one comedy venue brand with the same core offering of headline comedian performances and ticketed admissions.
• Gotham Comedy Club: Gotham Comedy Club is a Manhattan-based stand-up comedy venue presenting nightly shows featuring headlining and emerging comedians. It directly competes with Carolines for NYC comedy audiences, talent bookings, and tourist foot traffic, with a comparable mid-size club format.
• The Improv: The Improv is a long-established national comedy club chain with multiple U.S. locations presenting stand-up acts. Comparable to Carolines in brand legacy, venue-format live comedy programming, and ticketed-show revenue model, though it operates at significantly greater scale.
• Helium Comedy Club: Helium Comedy Club operates multiple comedy venues across U.S. cities featuring national touring comedians in a club-format setting. Comparable to Carolines on Broadway in its headliner-focused programming model and ticketed-show revenue approach.
• Zanies Comedy Night Club: Zanies is a regional chain of comedy clubs presenting live stand-up shows in multiple U.S. cities. It is comparable to Carolines on Broadway in its venue-based, ticketed live comedy format and headliner-driven programming.
• Stand Up NY: Stand Up NY is an Upper West Side comedy club offering live stand-up performances in a club setting. It competes directly with Carolines on Broadway for Manhattan comedy audiences and shares a similar single-venue, ticketed-show business model.

Others

• New York Comedy Festival: New York Comedy Festival is an annual multi-venue comedy event in NYC that partners with Carolines on Broadway as a host venue. It is adjacent rather than competitive — it is a demand-generation partner and a complementary programming layer rather than a competing venue operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carolinesonbway
• Facebookfacebook.com/carolinesonbway
• Instagraminstagram.com/carolinesonbway

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carolines on Broadway