Glasgow International Comedy Festival launches 2026 programme with over 100,000 tickets on sale
Glasgow International Comedy Festival has announced the full programme for 2026's event with 560 shows in 40 venues across the city from 11th - 29th March, and over 100,000 tickets now on sale!
Article Source: Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Last Updated: 7 January 2026 12:38
Image Credit: Elaine Livingstone
Glasgow International Comedy Festival will welcome top comedians to the city this spring with the likes of Rosie O’Donnell, Harry Enfield, Ruby Wax, Sue Perkins, Daniel Sloss, Alan Davies, Bridget Christie, Karen Dunbar, Jack Docherty, Susie McCabe, Tim Key, Connor Burns, Marjolein Robertson, Judi Love, Marc Jennings, Des Clarke, Mhairi Black and more all set to perform.
GICF will celebrate Glasgow as ‘the funniest city in the world’ for its 23rd edition of the event across 19 days this spring, spanning the comedy sector from traditional stand-up, improv, sketch, theatre, musical comedy, magic, kids shows, live podcasts, cabaret and more. Comedians from around the world will perform including top talent from America, Australia, Canada, Spain, Ireland and of course, a host of homegrown Scottish comics.
Venues set to host GICF shows include The OVO Hydro, SEC Armadillo, King’s Theatre, The Stand, Blackfriars Basement, Oran Mor, Gael & Grain, The Old Hairdressers’s, Drygate and more. Plus, the newly redeveloped Citizens Theatre joins GICF’s venue line-up, hosting Ruby Wax, Mark Simmons, Kim Blythe, Mhairi Black, Karen Dunbar and more. 2025’s festival welcomed over 60,000 fans to shows across the city with this year set to be another colossal celebration of comedy.
Encompassing deeply personal shows from stars like Rosie O’Donnell and Alan Davies, scandalous stories from Ruby Wax, character comedy from Jack Docherty, Zara Gladman, The Wee Man and Mark Black, Mark Cox and The Ewart Brothers, theatre with Alan Bissett’s When Billy Met Alasdair and Lubna Kerr’s Chatterbox and even a baking show from Bake-Off winner Peter Sawkins, GICF has something for every comedy fan.
Alan Davies said: “I’m already thinking ahead to Glasgow. I love the Film Theatre, a Play, a Pie and a Pint and the Clockwork Orange so I’m very much looking forward to my first gig there in over a decade.”
Craig Hill said: “This festival just keeps getting better and better! They’re literally putting the ‘go’ into Glasgow! The line up’s amazing this year and I just can’t wait to be part of it all over again. Go Glasgow International Comedy Festival!”
Daniel Sloss said: “I’m excited to be coming back to the Armadillo at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, the funniest festival in the funniest city in the world.”
Karen Dunbar said: “I’m really chuffed to be returning to the Citz for the GICF gig on March 25th. It’s a long time since I’ve done a theatre show in Glasgow and the combination of the new Citz and the festival was too hard to resist!”
Kim Blythe said: “I’m so excited to be performing my biggest solo show to date at this year’s GICF. I’m so grateful to the festival for giving me my start on the Introduction to Comedy course a few years ago and for all the support they’ve shown me since - it's going to be a really special hometown show so hopefully see you there!"
Rosie O’Donnell said: “Scotland welcomed me so warmly at the Fringe last August and those audiences really stayed with me. They made it a joy to be on that stage so I’m thrilled to be returning for the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, and with family connections close-by, it's a city close to my heart.”
Marc Jennings said: “The GICF has taken me from doing basements of pubs to my own show at the King's Theatre. After filming my special at the King's in 2023 I'm buzzing to be back performing there this year during the festival.”
GICF’s ‘Introduction to Comedy’ course for women and marginalised genders will run for the third year in a row, as part of the Festival’s ‘Comedy Connects’ programming. The free 6 week course is taught by renowned comedian Viv Gee at GICF’S community partner venue The Social Hub, providing a platform for more women and people of marginalised genders to learn how to perform stand-up comedy.
Previous graduates of the course include Kim Blythe, Ifrah Qureshi, Maddie Fernando, Rowan Hackett and more, who have gone on to pursue professional careers in comedy, whilst other participants use the course to boost confidence, try out stand-up for the first time or tick something off their bucket list. ‘Comedy Connects’ uses any festival profits to fund initiatives and projects that make comedy more accessible to all.
Officially launching 2026’s programme, today’s announcement sees some of comedy’s biggest names added to the line-up including: comedian, actor and TV host Rosie O’Donnell making her Glasgow debut with acclaimed show ‘Common Knowledge’ following her move to Ireland from the USA; actress and comedian Ruby Wax at the Citizens Theatre with lifelong friend Clive Tulloh telling some scandalous stories; international superstar Daniel Sloss unleashes his brand new show ‘Bitter’ at the SEC Armadillo; writer, actor, poet, comic and ‘Task Consultant’ Tim Key performs three nights at Tramway; musical comedy from award-winning star of ITV’s ‘Transaction’ Jordan Gray; Connor Burns adds an unprecedented fourth show at the King’s Theatre; Jack Docherty returns as BBC favourite ‘The Chief; Rab C Nesbitt creator Ian Pattison reunites with Neil Bratchpiece for another rendition of ‘The Wee Man’ ; Irish comics Aideen McQueen and Sophia Wren pair up to serve up ‘Feral Wellness’; Marjolein Robertson weaves comedy and folklore in shows exploring the mind, body and soul; Karen Dunbar heads to the newly revamped Citizens Theatre; star of BBC One comedy series King Gary, Tom Davis takes to the Old Fruitmarket; Mhairi Black returns with her ‘Difficult Second Album’; American ventriloquist Jeff Dunham heads to the Hydro; Andrew Frost blends comedy, theatre and magic for an innovative show; one of Ireland’s top comedians Paddy McDonnell tells honest tales of life with a disease that can’t be cured; English comic John Tothill performs his award nominated show; and Alan Bissett takes on two cultural giants by presenting a fictional tale of a meeting between Billy Connolly and Alasdair Gray.
Plus, GICF is set to host: international comics from Australia, Canada and New Zealand including Josh Glanc, Kate Hammer and Sarah Bradley; some of the UK’s top TV comics Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Mike Wozniak, Bridget Christie, Sue Perkins and Jordan Gray; rising talent from Ireland including Shane Daniel-Byrne, Killian Sundermann, Sophia Wren and more, plus, of course, an abundance of Scottish stars from Susie McCabe to Fred MacAulay, Karen Dunbar, Des Clarke, Jack Docherty, Marc Jennings, Christopher MacArthur-Boyd, Rosco McClelland, Marjolein Robertson, Connor Burns, Kim Blythe and Amanda Dwyer. Championing new talent from across the UK, Glasgow audiences can see some of comedy’s most exciting rising stars including Alana Jackson, Ayoade Bamgboye, Nate Kitch, Madeleine Brettingham and more.
For all things weird and wonderful, GICF 2026 shows include; ‘CatGPT - Unhinged’ exploring the mostly true tail of one man’s quest to bring his beloved dead cat Lentil back to life via ChatGPT; another cat-centred show with ‘Miaowaoke - Take A Look At Miaow’ complete with karaoke and cat-themed stand-up; the internet’s funniest and cringiest confessions unveiled live at Fesshole; comedy walking tour of Glasgow hosted by Ross Leslie and Kathleen Hughes plus a comedy show for adults where parents can ditch the babysitter and bring the baby to ‘Bring Yer Bairn’ or the sulky teen to ‘Bring Yer (Big) Bairn’ courtesy of Good Egg Comedy.
The Glasgow International Comedy Festival will once again work with Sir Billy Connolly to present the Spirit of Glasgow Award, named after the Big Yin himself, as the festival’s only official award. An independent panel of judges chooses a shortlist from all applications, before sending a recommendation to Sir Billy Connolly who decides the ultimate winner. In 2025, Sir Billy sent a personalised message to winner Rosco McClelland to announce the Glasgow comedian as the winner live onstage at GICF’s Comedy Gala on the festival’s final day. 2026’s Gala takes place on Sunday 29th March 2026, with applications for the award open until 14th January. The award recognises a person or group of people, not a show, meaning any GICF performers, venue staff, promoters or anyone otherwise involved in this year’s festival can apply.
Festival Director Krista MacDonald said: “2026 is set to be a bumper year for Glasgow International Comedy Festival as we welcome some of comedy’s biggest stars for headline shows including Harry Enfield, Rosie O’Donnell, Sue Perkins, Alan Davies, Ruby Wax and many more.
“A core principal of the festival is to spotlight homegrown comedians and this year more than ever, Scottish talent is well and truly on display with Daniel Sloss, Susie McCabe, Connor Burns, Craig Hill, Karen Dunbar, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, Kim Blythe, Rosco McClelland, Marjolein Robertson and countless more taking to the GICF stage. Plus, our Introduction to Comedy course for women and marginalised genders will return for its third year, having already platformed some fantastic new comedians, alongside a diverse programme with family shows, podcasts, traditional stand-up, magic, musical comedy and much more on offer.
“Comedy is at Glasgow’s core and there’s no better way to celebrate that than 19 days of top talent in iconic venues whether in 50-seater pubs or clubs, cinemas and theatres or large-scale venues like the OVO Hydro and SEC Armadillo.
“With over 100,000 tickets now on sale for 2026, it’s been a real thrill to see the Festival grow year on year, welcoming new comedy fans to the fold and celebrating Glasgow’s world-renowned comedy legacy. Each year, we are so proud to shine a light on this city’s talent and provide new platforms for comedians within our Comedy Connects programme which aims to make comedy more accessible for all - fans and comics alike - in the funniest city in the world.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating another year of GICF following 2025’s record-breaking edition - we hope you can join us in 2026 to see some of comedy’s brightest rising stars and international talent entertain Glasgow once more.”
Glasgow Life Chair, Bailie Annette Christie added: “The Glasgow International Comedy Festival has grown into one of the city’s great cultural cornerstones. Each year, this much-anticipated festival shines a spotlight on Glasgow’s wonderful humour and creativity.
“What makes GICF so appealing is the fantastic variety of shows on offer. People in Glasgow, and those who travel to be part of it, can look forward to enjoying laughter in all its forms from rising local talent and some of the UK’s best-known names in comedy, promising plenty of laughs for everyone this spring.”
GICF takes place from 11th - 29th March 2026 in venues across the city. Festival tickets are on sale via www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com
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