List of festivals in Glasgow

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Glasgow Festivals include festivals for art, film, comedy, folk music and jazz. Glasgow also hosts an annual queer arts festival in November.

Contents

Unlike the Edinburgh Festival (where the main festival and fringe festivals all occur around about the same time in August), Glasgow's festivals are spread evenly across the year, therefore ensuring a continuous annual programme of events.

Past festivals

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Glasgow held several Great Exhibitions. They were the International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry in 1888, the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1901, the Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry in 1911 and the Empire Exhibition in 1938. The latter attracted 12.6 million visits, easily eclipsing the Festival of Britain (1951) or the Millennium Dome in London (2000). Glasgow also hosted the Industrial exhibitions as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951.

Glasgow's Mayfest started in 1983 from the popular success of the STUC-organised May Day Parades and became a citywide public festival, covering theatre, music, dance, and visual arts. It became the second largest arts festival in Britain until funding ceased in 1997.

In 1988, Glasgow hosted its very successful Glasgow Garden Festival on old docks opposite the SECC, now home to the Glasgow Science Centre at Pacific Quay. 4.3 million people attended over 5 months, making it by far the most popular of the UK's five Garden Festivals held between 1984 and 1992.

In August 1990 Glasgow was crowned European City of Culture, the first such city in Britain and featured an impressive year-long calendar of special events, inspiring the creation of several festivals which still continue today. This European Union designation started in 1985, for Athens, and followed in successive years by Florence, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris (1989).

In 2008 Glasgow was declared a UNESCO City of Music, the first in Britain, and joins 9 other cities with the status worldwide.

Main festivals

Glasgow's main festivals are Celtic Connections,(founded 1993), the Jazz Festival (founded 1987), the West End Festival (founded 1996), Merchant City Festival (founded 2002), Southside Festival [founded 2008], Pride Glasgow Scotland's largest LGBT Pride Festival and Glasgay! (a queer arts festival which is one of the biggest gay and lesbian multi-arts festivals in Europe)(founded 1997).

Glasgow also hosts the annual World Pipe Band Championships in August on Glasgow Green, with over 8,000 musicians.

Calendar of festivals

As part of Glasgow's cultural renaissance, Glasgow is host to a variety of festivals throughout the year:-

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum</span> Museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland, managed by Glasgow Museums. The building is located in Kelvingrove Park in the West End of the city, adjacent to Argyle Street. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of Scotland's most popular museums and free visitor attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelvingrove Park</span> Public park in Glasgow, Scotland

Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Govanhill</span> Area of Glasgow, Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelvin Hall</span>

The Kelvin Hall, located on Argyle Street in Glasgow, Scotland, is one of the largest exhibition centres in Britain and now a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition venue in 1927. It has also been used as a concert hall, home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena to 2014, and from 1988 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of Transport. As part of the economic redevelopment of Greater Glasgow promoted by the Scottish Development Agency and local authorities to enhance the city's tourist infrastructure and to attract further national and international conferences, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre was designed as the Hall's successor for exhibitions and entertainments, built in 1983 and opened on the nearby Queen's Dock in 1985 with an exhibition area equal in size to the Kelvin Hall but with the benefit of extensive car parks and land for other complementary buildings. The Hall is protected as a category B listed building, and is served by city bus services and by Kelvinhall subway station.

Glasgay! Festival was a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender arts festival in Glasgow, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Honeyman</span>

Thomas John Honeyman was an art dealer and gallery director, becoming the most acclaimed director of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Garden Festival</span>

The Glasgow Garden Festival was the third of the five national garden festivals, and the only one to take place in Scotland.

Pride Scotia is Scotland's national LGBT pride festival. Since 1995, volunteers have organised a Pride March and a community-based festival in June, alternating between the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry</span>

The International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry was the first of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It took place at Kelvingrove Park between May and November 1888. The main aim of the exhibition was to draw international attention to the city's achievements in applied sciences, industry and the arts during the Industrial Revolution. However, it was also hoped the Exhibition would raise enough money for a much-needed museum, art gallery and school of art in the city. The exhibition was opened by the Prince of Wales, as honorary president of the exhibition, on 8 May 1888. It was the greatest exhibition held outside London and the largest ever in Scotland during the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Southside (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Glasgow Southside is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), being one of eight constituencies within the Glasgow City council area. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. It is also one of nine constituencies in the Glasgow electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole. The seat is currently held by Nicola Sturgeon who was First Minister of Scotland from 2014 to 2023, who has held it for the Scottish National Party since the seat was created for 2011 Scottish Parliament election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)</span>

The Glasgow International Exhibition was the second of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition took place during a period of half-mourning requested by Edward VII but was still popular and made more than £35000 profit. The exhibition was opened by the King's daughter, the Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry</span>

The Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry was held in Glasgow in 1911. It was the third of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow parliamentary constituencies</span>

The city of Glasgow, located in Scotland, UK, is represented in both the Westminster Parliament in London, and the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh. At Westminster, it is represented by seven Members of Parliament (MPs), all elected to represent individual constituencies at least once every five years, using the first-past-the-post system of voting. In Holyrood, Glasgow is represented by sixteen MSPs, nine of whom are elected to represent individual constituencies once every five years using first-past-the-post, and seven of whom are elected as additional members, through proportional representation.

The Southside Fringe Festival is an annual fringe festival based in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Festivals in Scotland</span>

Scotland hosts on average 200 festivals per year, ranging from cultural, musical and arts. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the worlds largest arts festival, and the country is also renowned for its hosting and organisation of sporting festivals and cultural events. Considered the birthplace of golf, Scotland has hosted The Open Championship tournament 97 times, more than any other country, and hosted international sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games three times.

References

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  2. "Rhymes with Purple - Theatre, New Writing, Cabaret and Entertainment | GCF". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  3. MT (11 March 2011). "The Glasgow Cabaret Festival". youtube.com. YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.