Glasgow International Comedy Festival announces biggest programme for 2025

Glasgow International Comedy Festival has unveiled the line up for the 2025 festival, which will be its biggest ever event, with over 550 shows taking place in venues across the city!

Article Source: Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Last Updated: 8 January 2025 12:53

Image Credit: Elaine Livingstone

Glasgow International Comedy Festival will take over the city for 19 days of wall-to-wall comedy between 12th and 30th March, welcoming international comedians from America and Australia, as well as some of the UK’s top touring comics and an abundance of rising and established Scottish talent in venues from The OVO Hydro, Barrowland Ballroom, Oran Mor, The Stand, BAAD, Blackfriars, Strathduie Bar and many more. The 2025 edition of GICF runs as part of Glasgow’s 850 celebrations in 2025.

Plus, GICF has unveiled this year’s ‘Comedy Connects’ will have a youth focus with programming and development geared to the next generation of performers and audiences. The ‘Comedy Connects’ strand uses any festival profits to fund initiatives and projects with the aim of making comedy more accessible to all.

This also includes the return of GICF’s ‘Introduction to Comedy’ course for women and marginalised genders with a 6 week free workshop taught by acclaimed comedian Viv Gee at The Social Hub, aiming to encourage more women and people of marginalised genders to pursue comedy. Comedy fans can also see the course’s class of 2024 perform at a special reunion show ‘First Time Funnies’, with 2025’s course culminating in a live performance at GICF’s new community partner venue The Social Hub.

Today’s official programme launch sees a host of shows added to the bill, from traditional stand-up to live podcasts, family comedy shows and more; UK comics Russell Kane, Jenny Eclair, Andy Zaltzman, Kate Butch, Jamali Maddix, Ania Magliano, Richard Herring, Matt Forde and more, international comedians Tom Segura, Catherine Bohart, Jimeoin, and Felicity Ward, and a roster of hometown heroes from Susie McCabe, Fern Brady, Old Firm Facts Live, Paul Black, Marjolein Robertson, Rosco McClelland, Darren Connell, Larry Dean, Plus, a host of rising Scottish stars who are set to make waves on the comedy scene including Kim Blythe, Connor Burns and Alana Jackson.

Catherine Bohart said: “I can’t wait to be back in Glasgow to do my show again, I’ve always loved performing there. Glaswegian audiences are raucous, and I feel like the Scottish and Irish share a sense of humour and are up for a good time!”

Craig Hill said: “Oran Mor is one of those fantastic venues that’s great for comedy, and Glasgow International Comedy Festival has an absolute riot of an audience, so this is one I really, really look forward to! Cannae wait to put the mad March hare intae mid March!”

Paul Black said: “I’m very excited to bring my new show All Sorts to GICF. Headlining the Festival in 2023 at The King’s was a dream and I’m very happy to be back with something totally different.”

2025’s highlights for GICF’s biggest ever year include hit podcast Here Comes the Guillotine’s first ever Glasgow live show; a King’s Theatre debut for Connor Burns following a hit Fringe season; The Office (Australia) star Felicity Ward returns for her first national tour in six years; Scottish comedian and author Fern Brady headlines the King’s Theatre; internationally acclaimed Irish-Australian comedian Jimeoin; comedian and novelist Jenny Eclair’s autobiographical show; one of TikTok’s top stars Paul Black returns with brand new sketch show ‘All Sorts’; ‘Books and Banter’ will see comedy guests join Val McDermid and Nicola Sturgeon for lively chat and lots of laughs, whilst comedy band The Horne Section take a break from their own Channel 4 TV show to entertain Glasgow audiences.

Plus Scot Squad star and podcaster Darren Connell will headline his first King’s Theatre show; Marjolein Robertson’s top-reviewed, not for the faint-heard show ‘O’; one of the UK’s top TV and touring comics Russell Kane’s high-octane show ‘Hyperactive’; a ‘Bring Your Own Baby’ Comedy show for parents and babies; Only An Excuse writer Phil Differ presents new play ‘Celtic Da’s’ starring Raymond Mearns and Bruce Morton; Drag Race UK star Kate Butch whose fans include Alan Carr; Paisley comic Liam Farrelly tells the true story of becoming a father at 21 and the joys of baby ballet; ex-politician Mhairi Black pulls back the curtain on life in Westminster; Irish comedian, podcaster and So You Think You’re Funny? alumni Gearóid Farrelly; Shaun Williamson aka Barry from EastEnders returns for karaoke show Barrioke; Dee Allum, the self-proclaimed greatest transgender comedian her small village has ever produced, performs her critically acclaimed show ‘Deadname’ and Never Mind the Buzzcocks regular, one of Taskmaster’s most anarchic contests and all-round critically acclaimed comic Jamali Maddix brings his brutally honest show to GICF.

Plus, sure to be a highlight for the Scottish comedy industry as a whole, GICF will bring a day of shows to the Barrowland Ballroom with a homecoming show for Glaswegian comedian Larry Dean who has become one of the UK’s top touring comics, as well as Northern Irish comic and podcaster Paddy McDonnell. The Festival also presents a celebration of Alasdair Gray’s work in Gray Matters featuring Alan Bisset, Ashley Storrie and Christopher Macarthur-Boyd as part of Glasgow 850, whilst Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow winner Susie McCabe debuts brand new show ‘Best Behaviour’ in her hometown, Rosco McClelland navigates the highs and lows of life and death in a show with unexpected twists, and Old Firm Facts Live will celebrate all that is surreal, beautiful and hilarious about Scottish Football with an array of special guests.

Once again, the closing Comedy Gala on Sunday 30th March will reveal the winner of the festival’s only official award: the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award. The Big Yin himself will choose the ultimate winner, after an independent panel of judges decides a shortlist from all applications. In the third year of the award, 2025’s winner will join a prestigious list including Susie McCabe (2024 winner) and Janey Godley (2023 winner). Any individual, show, group or collective registered with the 2025 festival are eligible to submit - applications close at 5pm on 13th January.

Festival Director Krista MacDonald said: “We're thrilled to reveal Glasgow International Comedy Festival's 2025 programme with over 550 shows meaning this will be our biggest ever event and a real milestone year for the Festival as we go into our third year of rebuilding post-pandemic. We'll be showcasing some of the very best comedians from around the world, the UK and of course, lots of stellar homegrown Scottish acts.

“Comedy plays a vital role in Glasgow's cultural identity and our city's comedy scene regularly produces acts who go on to impress on a worldwide stage. From our unique legacy of comedy performers to the top touring acts of today and through to the next generation of breakthrough talent, Glasgow is the starting point for countless acts and we can't wait to celebrate that this spring.

“GICF truly has all styles of comedy on display - traditional stand-up, clowning, musical comedy, theatre, live podcasts and family comedy shows making sure there is genuinely something for everyone. We’re also thrilled to be expanding our Comedy Connects programme with our new Community Partner, The Social Hub, with the aim of making comedy more accessible for all including running our Introduction to Comedy course for women and marginalised genders for the second year.

“The Festival encompasses every corner of the city, from iconic comedy clubs in the West End to some of Scotland's most famous venues including The OVO Hydro, SEC Armadillo and the legendary Barrowland Ballroom. We’d encourage you to take a chance on somebody new, as well as some of your old favourites, and join us as we celebrate Glasgow as the funniest city in the world once more.”

Glasgow Life Chair, Bailie Annette Christie commented: “The Glasgow International Comedy Festival is a much-loved and eagerly anticipated highlight in our city’s packed cultural calendar. Renowned for our warm welcome and legendary sense of humour, this remarkable festival places Glasgow firmly on the global comedy stage.

“Throughout 2025, Glasgow will be marking its 850th anniversary with a vibrant programme of events, bringing communities together to celebrate our rich culture, music and food. Comedy is very much part of that culture. This year’s GICF promises an exciting mix of seasoned performers and rising stars, guaranteeing plenty of laughs for audiences from Glasgow and beyond.”

GICF has also announced The Social Hub as a brand new community partner, with the state of the art hybrid hospitality venue in Candleriggs set to be a hub for artists throughout the event as well as host this year’s Introduction to Comedy course for women and marginalised genders. Applications for the course close at 5pm 13th January.

Glasgow International Comedy Festival will celebrate Glasgow as the ‘funniest city in the world’ from 12th - 30th March 2025 with shows taking place across city including Paddy McDonnell, Jenny Eclair, Chris Forbes, Susie McCabe, Catherine Bohart, Jimeoin, Jamali Maddix, Jamie MacDonald, Kemah Bob, Fred MacAulay, Marjolein Robertson and more.

The 2025 festival will feature shows across every genre of comedy from traditional stand-up, live podcasts, clowning, improv, theatre, kids shows, musicals and more, with shows for all age ranges hosted in venues across the city.

Over 40 venues will host Glasgow International Comedy Festival events with shows in Barras Art and Design, Barrowland Ballroom, Blackfriars, Glasgow Film Theatre, King’s Theatre, Platform, Oran Mor, SEC Armadillo, Flying Duck, Tennent’s Bar, The Old Hairdressers, The Stand Comedy Club, The Social Hub, Van Winkle West End and more.

2025 festival tickets are on sale via www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com

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