Glasgow International Comedy Festival returns with its biggest lineup ever

This March, Glasgow will once again spill over with comedy as the Glasgow International Comedy Festival returns to venues across the city from 12 to 30 March. In total there are 550 shows in this year’s programme, in venues ranging from huge stages like The Hydro, The Barras and King’s Theatre to more intimate venues like The Stand and Òran Mór, plus various back rooms and basements across the city in pubs like Blackfriars, The Flying Duck and The Old Hairdressers. 

As ever, the lineup is a mix of homegrown talent, standups from across the rest of the UK and a smattering of acts from further afield that help justify the "international" label. Among those local faves is Susie McCabe, who’s bringing her mint-fresh show Best Behaviour to King’s Theatre for three nights. MaCabe will also be sharing the stage with her Here Come The Guillotine pals Frankie Boyle and Christopher Macarthur-Boyd at the the Armadillo for the trio's first live recording of their podcast. Macarthur-Boyd also has his own WIP shows at Drygate and the Flying Duck; act quick if you want tickets.

Elsewhere there’s Shetland standup Marjolein Robertson with her recent Fringe hit O (expect tales of menstrual health and Shetland folklore) plus a work-in-progress show; TikTok star Paul Black returns with new show All Sorts featuring stand-up, sketches and character comedy; and Edinburgh comedian Conor Burns brings his Fringe show 1994. Other local acts to look out for are Fern Brady with Autistic Bikini Queen, Rosco McClelland with Sudden Death and if you’ve struggled to get tickets to Larry Dean’s performance of Dogger at The Pavilion in February, you can catch him as part of GICF at the Barras instead. 

Outwith Scotland, we’re looking forward to the latest from Irish comic Catherine Bohart, Australian comic Felicity Ward and the Irish-Australian comic Jimeoin. Add to this list a whole bunch of standups from south of the border – think Russell Kane, Jenny Eclair, Alison Spittle, Andy Zaltzman, MC Hammersmith, Jamali Maddix, Ania Magliano, and Richard Herring – and you’ve so many excuses to laugh your way into the spring.

The programme also features Drag Race star Kate Butch, Barry from EastEnders – aka Shaun Williamson – with karaoke show Barrioke and two ex-politicians: Mhairi Black, who pulls back the curtain on life in Westminster with her first standup show, and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who takes part in on-stage chat show Books and Banter alongside author Val McDermid.

As well as these well-known faces, festival director Krista MacDonald points out that GICF is also a great place to discover new 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,” MacDonald says. “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."

The above is just a fraction of the performers coming to Glasgow in March. For the full lineup, head to glasgowcomedyfestival.com