With 2023 marking its 22nd year, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival was the brainchild of Lara Rae and CBC Radio's Tom Anniko, who worked in partnership with the Gas Station Arts Centre to bring the first festival to life in 2002. Since then, nearly 100 hours of primetime WCF galas have aired on CBC TV, bringing Canadian comedians national TV exposure, and international exposure online. Canadian comedy legends like Russell Peters, Brent Butt, Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, Mark McKinney, Tommy Chong, and David Steinberg have all graced the Winnipeg Comedy Festival stage.