If your Easter weekend plans currently extend no further than chocolate eggs and a Sunday roast, Glasgow has something altogether more thrilling on offer. BUZZCUT, the city's most adventurous performance festival, returns from Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 April with four days of experimental live art spread across three venues — and it might just be the most exciting thing happening in Scotland this month.
This year's programme features 26 artists and collectives from Scotland, the UK, and beyond, with performances at Tramway, Strange Field, and the Glad Café. If you've never encountered BUZZCUT before, think of it as the festival that champions everything too bold, too strange, or too vital for a conventional stage — and loves every minute of it.
What to Expect
The programme reads like a manifesto for creative fearlessness. Wednesday opens at Tramway with Charneh Watson's RAGE & EUPHORIA, an intimate small-group experience running throughout the day, followed by Shona Macnaughton's Look! She has her eyes wide open and Dorine Mugisha's Whacking Scotland Exhibition, a celebration of the ballroom scene.
Thursday spreads across the city. Sean Wai Keung offers one-on-one encounters with Hand-Pulled at Tramway, while over at St Ninian's Church, Sym Stellium presents forgive me Lorde, for I am not a warrior — a two-hour ritual tribute to queer and trans ancestors in one of Glasgow's most beautiful Southside chapels. The evening winds down with BUZZCUT's karaoke takeover at the Glad Café, co-hosted with Central Belters.
Friday moves to Strange Field on French Street for an evening headlined by Pablo Pakula's Ecce Homo and Camila Arévalo's Dagger and Wound. There's also a free shared meal provided by Mosob — because BUZZCUT understands that community is built around a table as much as a stage.
Saturday returns to Tramway for the festival's final day, featuring Edward Thomasson's The Whole Routine, Marios Ento-Engkolo's Dualism, and Graham Bell Tornado's brilliantly titled The Quine that did the Strip at Inverurie. The whole thing closes with a late-night afterparty at Stereo Glasgow, co-hosted with ShitePop — complete with DJs, live performances, and actual buzz-cuts.
Practical Details
Tickets are pay-what-you-can, with a standard price of £7. All venues are wheelchair accessible, and Tramway provides a designated quiet space for audiences. BSL interpretation is available for several shows. The festival is for over-18s only.
Tramway is at 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow, G41 2PE. The nearest train station is Pollokshields East, just a two-minute walk away. Buses 57, 38, 3, 4, and 59 stop on nearby Pollokshaws Road. The full programme and tickets are available at glasgowbuzzcut.co.uk.
Why Go?
BUZZCUT occupies a rare and precious space in Glasgow's cultural calendar. It's grassroots, it's passionate, and it platforms voices and forms that don't get a look-in elsewhere. If you've ever been curious about live art but didn't know where to start, this is your invitation. Come with an open mind — and leave the chocolate eggs at home.
