For the fourth year in a row, nonprofit theater Kickstand Comedy is hosting a series of free stand-up comedy nights in Portland’s Laurelhurst Park Friday evenings for the entire summer. The first outdoor event was held by necessity in the pandemic and began with a small crowd of less than 100 people. But word has spread, and as pandemic has subsided, crowds have grown and shows now typically draw around 3,000 or more.

Since it began 10 years ago, the theater has offered a broad array of classes, including improv, sketch comedy and stand up. We’ll get a preview of the upcoming shows from Dylan Reiff, co-founder and artistic director of Kickstand Comedy and Julia Corral, a comic, teacher and one the co-hosts of the series.