Glasgow Festivals
Glasgow Festivals include festivals for art, film, comedy, folk music and jazz. Glasgow also hosts an annual queer arts festival in November.
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 Glasgow's first big public festival, covering theatre, music, dance, and visual arts and was Glasgow's attempt to rival the Edinburgh Festival in August. However after three years of massive losses and increasingly controversial management it came to a close in 1997 when the local authority removed its half-a-million pound funding.
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. Over 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.
Following the success of the Garden Festival, Glasgow was crowned European City of Culture in 1990 (having been nominated in Sept 1986) and featured an impressive year-long calendar of special events, inspiring the creation of several festivals which still continue today.
Main festivals
Glasgow's main festivals are Celtic Connections,(founded 1993), the Jazz Festival (founded 1989), the West End Festival (founded 1996), Merchant City Festival (founded 2002), Southside Festival [founded 2008] 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
- Celtic Connections - Three week-long Celtic folk and world music festival, founded 1993. Now one of the world's most influential music festivals.
February
- Glasgow Film Festival
- New Territories – Festival of Live Art Scotland - annual international festival of performance art, artist residencies, installations, screenings and talks presented by New Moves. (started 1990)[1]
March
April
- Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Visual Arts (also known as GI)
- Glasgow Art Fair - Scotland's main art fair
- Triptych - Attention-grabbing music festival across venues in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, embracing genres as diverse as Indie, Jazz, Neo-Classical, Reggae and Dance. (Sadly ceased 2008 after Tennents ended sponsorship).
May
- Big Big Country - Americana Music Festival (last held in 2006)
- Maydaze - Free day of music and family entertainment centred on Glasgow Green during the first weekend in May. Includes the traditional May Day Rally and Parade which inspired the now defunct Mayfest.
- Southside Festival - Festival celebrating the Southside of Glasgow featuring Music, Art, Community acctivities and much more. 2011's festival takes place in Queens Park Recreation Grounds on Saturday 28th May.
June
- West End Festival - Centred around Byres Road, Ashton Lane, the Botanic Gardens, the University of Glasgow and Kelvingrove Park, it is now Glasgow's biggest popular event with over 150,000 attending 500 events in 75 locations and venues. Founded 1996.
- Lord Provost's Procession - annual community parade (discontinued in 2006)
- Glasgow International Jazz Festival (founded 1989).
- Glasgow Mela - held on and off since 1990 Year of Culture in differing locations and months, now in Kelvingrove Park on a Sunday in June during the West End Festival
- North Glasgow International Festival - event centred around asylum seekers, organised by the police (last held in 2005)
- Bard in the Botanics - (annual open-air Shakespeare in the Botanic Gardens)
- Govan Fair - Oldest Festival in Glasgow
- Gorbals Fair - held in the Gorbals every June
July
- Glasgow's River Festival - two day family event centred on the Clyde near the SECC and Science Centre. Started 2004, not held in 2010.
- Glasgow Cabaret Festival - week-long theatre, variety, burlesque, circus and comedy festival at various venues around Glasgow. Started 2009, not held in 2010. Due to be held again in October 2011.[2]
August
- Piping Live - celebration of piping in all its forms in the week's run up to the World Pipe Band Championships.
- World Pipe Band Championships - major international event held annually on Glasgow Green since 1968. 8,000 pipers and 120 bands. Organised by RSPBA.
September
- Doors Open Day - unique chance for the public to visit some of Glasgow's most interesting buildings over one weekend in September. Organised by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust. (started 1989).
October
- Inspiration - Glasgow's festival for children and young people
- Big Big World - World Music Festival founded by the late Billy Kelly (last held in 2006)
November
December
- Glasgow's Hogmanay
- Glasgow On Ice
References
- ^ Carr, Ellie (February 28, 1999). "Staying one step ahead". Sunday Herald: p. 15.
- ^ www.rhymeswithpurple.net/gcf
See also
External links