Wits will face off at the 36th Annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championship

Photo by Images courtesy O. Henry Museum

Witty statements and clever turns of phrase fill the air at the annual competition with two main events, Punniest of Show and Punslingers.

Event organizer Gary Hallock said the Pun-Off is one of the events that helps keep the city weird and fits well with the works of the writer O. Henry, who once lived in Austin.

"[O. Henry's] short stories always had a surprise twist at the end, and our favorite form of wordplay twists the words at the end," Hallock said.

The Punniest of Show competition allows contestants to individually present a pun on stage that lasts about 90 seconds. The contestants and their pun will be judged on a scale of one to 10 by a panel of judges.

The Punslinger competition is a tournament-style event that pits two contestants against each other and has them pun back and forth on a particular topic.

The event features live music by The Greatest American Heroes as well as food trailers.

Hallock said although contestants might lunge at the audience, they don't charge audience members.

11 a.m.–5 p.m. Free. O. Henry and Susanna Dickinson museums, 409 E. Fifth St. www.austintexas.gov/event/o-henry-pun-world-championships or www.punpunpun.com