Party at the Palace 2025: West Lothian family-friendly festival announces comedy line-up

Linlithgow’s Party at the Palace festival announced its music headliners earlier this month, and has now announced a host of comedy stars who will play throughout the weekend.

Party At The Palace has built a reputation as hosting the most unique open air comedy club in Scotland, with an expertly curated line-up courtesy of much-loved Scots comic Des McLean – and it’s back over the weekend of August 2 and 3 in Linlithgow.

The line-up for 2025, which will take place between 2-3 August 2025, has announced a number of international TV stars like Glenn Wool, Susie McCabe, Tiff Stevenson, Liam Farrelly, Kim Blythe, Ray Bradshaw, Josie Long, Rosco McLelland, Chris Forbes and Tei Boyd – and of course Des himself.

Des McLean will curate this year's line-up | Supplied

With the Edinburgh Fringe going on in August too, Des picks out his favourites from the programme there, alongside the turns he feels have to perform whether they’re doing Edinburgh or not.

Des said: “I’m bringing you a taste of the very best of the Fringe – along with the comics I rate above and beyond all comers – so it’s a real guide to the best of comedy now, and the up and comers I’m tipping for stardom. If this was a gig this is a 40 quid ticket for this line-up, they’re all headline acts.

“I’m really proud of this line-up – I know it’s a cliché but there is genuinely something for everyone, for every taste – international comics, current and previous award winners, big box office hits and then really offbeat stuff too.

“I’m compering and hosting bits in between as usual because I know the audience and we have regulars who come every year – we must be only comedy tent at a festival where we have our own regulars!”

Des said he is thrilled at the line-up he has managed to put together this year and he’s confident it rivals anything at any major comedy event.

He said: “Sunday is headlined by Susie McCabe who just sold out three Kings Theatre shows and won the Sir Billy Connolly award last year – that’s almost 6000 people saw her in March alone.

“Ray Bradshaw headlines Saturday, he’s just announced his biggest UK tour, you’ll also know him from Off The Ball and he’ll be playing the Armadillo in Glasgow.

“Glenn Wool is a massive Canadian comic who has six comedy albums out and has starred on Mock The Week and John Bishop Show. He’s rarely up here but he’s up for The Fringe so we were able to get him.

“Even with stars of social media we have the very best – like Kim Blythe who has 92million on TikTok – the queues for pics with her are wild.

“We have the brilliant Rosco McLelland, he’s just won the Sir Billy Connolly award – Pride of Glasgow – he’s red hot and was booked before he won it, which is a great endorsement.”

Party at the Palace Festival Director John Richardson said: “This isn’t a case of festival bookers throwing together a comedy line-up or trying to pull in some names we think might work.

“Comedy is more than that, there’s real science and art to programming both the right line-up and how that flows through the two days.

“We have known and respected Des for a long time and he was always a lynchpin of our comedy stuff, so it made absolute sense to hand the whole thing over to him – he’s in charge, it’s his thing.

“It’s been a huge success and we’re thrilled to have him on board – it’s essentially his picks of the best in comedy both at the Fringe and just in general.

“We really believe in bringing the very best to the festival whether that’s music, comedy, food, drinks, all of it – and we are really happy with the line-up across the board this year.”

Party at the Palace is in Linlithgow on August 2 and 3, tickets are on sale now