Austin’s exploding comedy scene is no joke, according to producers of the area’s largest independent comedy festival.

Known for its live music, the city is quickly becoming a hotspot for live comedy, and the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival aims to show off local talent while attracting nationally and internationally known performers, Executive Producer Ruby Willmann said.

“Austin isn’t yet known for the comedy scene, but it’s becoming known,” Willmann said. “People are starting to see Austin as a heavy hitter. … [The city has become] a beacon for young artists who want to study comedy but don’t want to go to [Los Angeles] or Chicago.”

Out of Bounds is the brainchild of local comedic improviser Jeremy Sweetlamb and began in 2002 with about seven troupes performing at what was then Austin’s only improv theater, The Hideout Theatre. The festival now features a week of sketch, stand-up, improv and variety acts performed at seven venues. In 2016, the festival expects about 500 performers—about half of them local—and close to 3,000 attendees.

This year’s festival takes place Aug. 30-Sept. 5 and features a range of shows and workshops with a focus on representing a diversity of performers and workshop leaders. In addition, the festival showcases Austin’s comedy community, Willmann said.

“We’re bragging about [our comedy scene] because it’s worth bragging about,” she said.

During the past decade, four new improvisation and comedy venues or schools opened in Austin, and in 2016, renowned Netherlands comedy institution Boom Chicago held auditions in the city for the first time and hired an Austin performer. Dave Buckman, festival producer and co-owner of local comedy venue/school ColdTowne Theater, said Boom Chicago—which includes alumni such as Seth Meyers, Jason Sudeikis and Jordan Peele—auditioning in Austin is a milestone for the city’s comedy scene.

Despite its rapid growth, the Austin comedy community has retained a sense of inclusivity, fun and supportiveness, said Jon Bolden, an Out of Bounds producer and a director at The Hideout Theatre.

Buckman, who has taught and performed at improvisational comedy institutions throughout the world, said the Austin comedy and improvisation community is very unique.

“In most cities you go to, if you have more than one theater, you get barred from playing at different theaters,” he said. “[Austin is] a utopia for someone who came up through [the] Chicago [comedy scene which] can be rival-fueled and territorial.”

Fourteen years after its inception, Out of Bounds—a nonprofit—continues to function as a way to celebrate and bring exposure to local comedians rather than turn a profit, he said.

“Out of Bounds is specifically focused on good vibes,” he said. “We’re not here to make money; we’re here to provide a cultural experience.”