The festival blends a mix of international, big name comics with leading Scottish comedians, while providing a platform for emerging talent.
Among the stars coming to Glasgow for this year’s festival are Russell Kane, Jenny Eclair, Richard Herring, Tom Segura, Catherine Bohart, Jimeoin, and Felicity Ward. The Scottish acts include Susie McCabe, Fern Brady, Old Firm Facts Live, Paul Black, Marjolein Robertson, Rosco McClelland, Darren Connell and Larry Dean, with Kim Blythe, Connor Burns and Alana Jackson among the emerging ‘ones to watch’. Festival venues include the OVO Hydro, Oran Mor, Barrowland Ballroom and The Stand.
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Susie McCabe, who claimed the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the 2024 festival as the act which best embodied the comedic spirit and heritage of the city of Glasgow, will be performing three shows at the Kings this year and told The Herald: “I think its important to perform at the festival, it gives you a path. It is not unusual in this city to hear someone like my voice. Whereas if you go to the Edinburgh Fringe there is very few people with a voice, history, or social class of mine.”
“Glasgow is a city that always had a commonality regardless of wealth where you are only ever one street away from a posh terrace or not a posh terrace. That is one of the most beautiful things about Glasgow and that keeps us real.”
The Glaswegian comedian will also perform their hit podcast ‘Here comes the Guillotine’, with co-hosts Frankie Boyle and Christopher MacArthur-Boyd, in its first ever live show in the city.
“All three of us, me Frankie and Christie are all from Glasgow. We are all proud Glaswegians. We could have put the show at any time of the year, but we felt that being part of the festival was important.
Comedians Connor Burns, Ashley Storrie, Susie McCabe and Rosco McClelland with Festival Director Krista MacDonald at the launch of the 2025 Glasgow International Comedy Festival. (Image: Colin Mearns/The Herald)
“For us to put our successful podcast in the comedy festival to get those tickets through which is great as performers, but its also for us to say, this is a good comedy festival because we do it and we trust this festival. That is quite a big message to send out.”
Looking at the line-up Festival Director Krista MacDonald added: “It is a big old beast, it is a big programme. I think you should absolutely see a name that you recognise or a name that you have seen on TikTok, or someone that you connect with, but also make a day of it, make a weekend of it.”
“There are shows all day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Stick a pin in the brochure. Go and see some random acts, because you never know what next big thing you’re going to see. Alan Carr played the back room of a pub in Shawlands Cross in the first festival, so you don’t know who’s going to be the big star of tomorrow and it’s always fun to say you saw them first.”
This intimate feel make the festival stand apart from others, as Scottish Comedian, Connor Burns explained. Although, having previously sold out five shows at the GICF, the rising Scots comic will this year be making his Kings debut.
Burns said: “The festival is great because you get people playing in the Kings but you also get people playing in the background of pubs, bars and if you’re not sure you can always have a punt at something. Genuinely some of the funniest shows I’ve seen were for a fiver with 50 people in the audience.”
The concluding Comedy Gala on Sunday March 30 will reveal the winner of the festival’s only official award: the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award, chosen by Billy Connolly himself.
In addition, GICF has revealed that this year ‘Comedy Connects’, which uses any festival projects to make comedy more accessible to all, will have a youth focus with programming and development geared to the next generation of audiences and performers.
The return of GICF’s ‘introduction to comedy’ course for women and marginalised genders with a 6-week free workshop taught by comedian Viv Gee at The Social Hub.
Find out more about this year’s festival at glasgowcomedyfestival.com