Glasgow Loves Christmas

Glasgow's Christmas Lights

This event is known all around Glasgow. It happens mid December and is a huge event where the George Square lights are lit - usually by a celebrity. The event has grown each year - so much so that they have started having to provide tickets for health and safety reasons. When I was younger it was a matter of going along but now tickets are needed. Sadly the tickets are sold out quicky so 'if your not fast your last' will apply in this case. This is just one of the events which happen around this area in December. Here is the website where you can view a slideshow and read up on more information on how to be at this spectacular event.


The full area is the turned in to a Winterfest - which an ice-skating rink and stalls. There has been in recent year a huge stage set up where acts can apply to perform. I thought I would write about this because I have sang as part of my school choir at the Winterfest the last two years. Apart from the nerves and the cold I loved every experience of it. Everyone is merry and there is a real buzzing atmosphere. The staff are all very friendly and helpful and the venue itself is a winter wonderland spectacular. The dressing rooms even have heating in them! I am going to leave you with a video of the lights and firework displays from one of the evenings. Thank You for viewing my blogs and i do hope you have enjoyed my opinions on cultural events around about Glasgow.



Glasgow Doors Open Day

This wonderful FREE event is Glasgow's way of celebrating  its buildings, its streets, its parks and its people - basically this is Glasgow's way of celebrating Glasgow! There are walks, talks, exhibitions in hundreds of venues which open their door to the Glasgow public. I personally think this is a great way of bringing in tourists to Glasgow as well as allowing Glasgow to see places that they possibly may not normally visit.

As there are so many I think I would bore you by listing them all so I will link you all to the page of all the venues which opened their doors in 2010 - Doors Open 2010. My personal favourites from last year were the BBC Scotland - I found this very interesting as I was able to see what happened on a daily basis with the help of a tour. Also I visited the Mosque which is situated in the Gorbals. I enjoyed this as it was a chance to explore a different culture.

Glasgow Central Mosque



This event sums up culture of Glasgow. It allows access to places you would never normally think of visiting. A free shuttle bus operates during the event which runs several routes, taking people in between the venues. The fact that this even is free means anybody is able to go to this. Although the younger generation may not be so interested - I was dragged along one year and will continue to go every year to explore the new additions every year.

The venues have yet to be confirmed for next year so I will leave you with their Facebook Page! My last blog on cultural events - saving best till last will be the Winterfest in George Square - See you all next time..

Jazzing It Up

For all you music lover out there here is another addition to Glasgows busy calendar in June. The annual International Jazz Festival brings our very own city alive with the swing of jazz. This festival attracts jazz music appreciators globally.

             Jazz      -      Blues      -      Reggae      -      Funk      -      Soul      -      World 

Above is a list of all the genres of Jazz which will be shown throughout the festival. The festival normally takes over about 2 weeks of June, which is held in various venues accross Glasgow. But not only does this festival offer music - there are workshops, signings and photography exhibitions (all jazz related of course). Here is a clip from the 2010 festival of Michael Janisch Quartet, With Special Guests Wynton Marsalis & Ryan Quigley. This is just one aspect of the festival

The 2010 festival, lasted ten days and 650 artists, attracting over 29,000 people. Last years performances included: theRyanQuigley BigBand, GlasgowImprovisersOrchestra, GeorgeBurt with SusanAlcorn, Burt Macdonaldwith Keith Tippett andRumbaCaliente.  Although the directors have kept us waiting in anticipation - the festival hope to WOW their audiences even more this year. You can keep up to date with Facebook and Twitter. Nothing is yet official but these pages are constantly giving you the low down.As soon as the line up is announced I know I will be certainly purchasing a ticket or two to some of the events which last. With some being cheaper than others, why not buy one to see what it is like!? After the summer coming in to September the events around about Glasgow start to calm down but I will next be presenting you with my opinions of The Glasgow Doors Open Day...

The Merchant City Festival

So here I go - yet another spectacular event Glasgow has to offer. Luckily all these events are being held in the summer, where we are promised better weather! This 4 day festival is one I would again recommend not to miss. Although it offers the same ideas as the West End Festival - the two are completely different. Each year the festival seems to expand - bringing enjoyment, warmth and laughter  to its attendees.

"Each year we build and expand upon the year before - this year both nationally and internationally - ensuring the programming stays fresh, innovative and exciting - and above all else, unique to Glasgow."(website)



The Merchant City welcomed 70,000 visitors last year and I was one of them. This quarter of Glasgow with its vibrant scene offered opera, acrobats, stalls, live music, street acts, food drink. EVERYTHING. In a new approach to programming the Festival, Glasgow Life has been appointed by the Merchant City Festival Committee to create a broader ownership and involvement in the Festival among the local businesses and arts organisations. This year you'll be mad not to miss something new and exciting. To get all the latest information there is a page to sign up to for email alerts of what will be happening with the event in 2011. Click Me!

Short and sweet from me. After a few festivals which offer a lot, I will be going on to talk about a more specific event next time. And remember any comments will be welcomed with open arms.

Populating The West End

   The West End Festival is the biggest event in Glasgows calendar. Being placed in the top 30 European festivals by the Guardian, this must be doing pretty well for itself. The main attraction for this festival is the mardi-grass which is the centre of the 16 day long festival. I have attended this event since I was only a toddler so both my opinions and expectations are very high. The centre parade has been compared to as the second largest Mardi Grass following Notting Hills carnival event in Glasgow. With over 40 indoor and out-door venues with hundreds of activities and shows... Glasgow should be proud to host such a fantastic event!



The Glasgow Mela

AKA - The O2 Glasgow Mela

Melas are south Asian events which have spread around the world from the south Asian subcontinent. Mela means 'gathering' and can describe festival, market, trade event, religious gathering and more. Mela are celebrated with music, dance, theatre, fashion, food and stalls, these are days for the whole family, to join in and embrace south Asian culture. According to the official website

"Nothing compares to the energy, vibrancy and colour of the O₂ Glasgow Mela – shimmering saris, fabulous food, and inspiring music and dance are just some of the sights and sounds of this amazing free entry summer event."

Offical Logo

This event is in the heart of cultures - this is what globalisation has profoundly led to, celebrating and learning about new exciting cultures. The event was originally created in 1990 as part of the European Culture Festival but has now torn away from this, building up to be one of Glasgow's most celebrated cultural events. Now we are going to be hosting this event for the 21st year, where we will see the event expanding  over two days with even more music and entertainment for a diverse group of people. Being brought up with close family friends from India I have been taken here again from a young age. I feel like every year it has expanding - BIGGER & BETTER! But hopefully they will be able to pull off maintaining high standards over these two days. Here is a clip from 2010 which highlights how special this event truely is.

As the event will be celebrating its 21st birthday there will be a fantastic mix of cultural music, dance, interactive arts, food and sports all lined up for the event. The chosen venue this year will be Kelvingrove park as it was last year - I feel in the right weather this is just the perfect venue for entertainment and stalls. Although the acts have not yet been announced keep in with their facebook page for the latest live news feeds.

Feel free to have a peep next week where I will be exploring yet another Festival in Glasgow - who says that Glasgow is a lifeless city would be very wrong!!

Scottish Fashion Awards

Wednesday 15th June 2011

After reading about this event in the Sunday Herald Magazine the other day, I thought I would give you my opinions on this huge fiesta - SCOTTISH FASHION AWARDS. This Scottish based event features creative talents world wide but more importantly fresh Scottish talent. The event is known worldwide for its many celebrity attendees crammed on to huge - not red - but tartan carpet! These awards will be making their way to Glasgow's Science Centre - a futuristic venue which will be used to its full advantage. The press have taken a huge attraction to this event which has made it all more known. From More Magazine to the Daily Record.

Press involved with SFA

I thought I would add a bit to this seeming that the judges have now been announced for the event in June. These judges include big names such as; Nathalie Colin  the Creative Director of Swarovski; Dolly Jones, the Editor of Vogue.com and Brian Duffy, the President of Ralph Lauren Europe. With big shot names like this, Scotland is doing pretty well for itself. The panel is joined by a selection of global brands and partners including Mercedes-Benz, Swarovski and Tony and guy.

This is one Glitz and Glam event I would love to be attending. I will leave you with their official facebook page for live news feeds and a clip from 2010 which I feel sums up the event. As we're on exciting events in the summer I will be giving you my thoughts and finds on the Mela O2 Festival within the next few days.. Get excited!

Live News Feed

Books Galore

This festival - a bit less technological than the Film Festival but not less known is appreciated by everyone in society. AyeWrite has been running for 6 years now and is only improving as the years go on. The event has already been a few days in but I thought I would give you my thoughts and opinions of it so far incase theres anything that may be of interest. Ayewrite has from day one been held in one of Europes largest reference libraries: The Mitchell Library; a spacious, distinctive building built accross 5 floors.

The line up this year has celebrated the full spectrum of writing Glasgow has to offer but not forgetting the feature of Scottish and international authors also. This is what gives this event its cultural edge and variety. This variety is also shown in the wide mix genres covered throughtout the festival; fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, crime, comedy, politics and debate. Similar to the GFF, throughout the book festival there are many activities which succeeded in trying to attract the all different cultures from around Glasgow and surrounding areas, especially the younger generations. These activities included debates, author talks, workshops, creative reading/writing events, young peoples book discussions and even musical events. I will leave you with a direct link to the official website for this year and next year.

                                                                           AyeWrite!


Next week I'll be presenting you with my opinions on The Scottish Fashion awards - which Glasgow is proudly hosting this year. See you then.



Glasgow Film Festival

17th-27th February 2011

I thought now that February's gone I would reflect back on to one of Glasgow's most well known events which happened during that month. I have selected to give my insights in to The Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) as I think although it is based around the film scene: this event offers so much more including workshops; private/public screenings; other festivals; and the chance to meet with indepedent film makers/directors from Scotland and all over the globe. I am going to discuss my highlights of the GFF. Before I go to this heres a small clip of the Opening Gala from this years festival which I personally think sums the creativity up in 30 seconds:

Music and Film Festival

This festival within the festival started off only 3 years ago and was introduced to combine audio and visuals. The result of this was very entertaining and sometimes slightly whacky! This featured very creative films such as 65daysofstatic, Zombie Zombie and not forgetting The Wickerman. What attracted me so much to this festival is that a screening is complemented by a full gig either before or afterwards. This meant that music lovers and film lovers could come together and share something they were passionate. If this isn't culture then I do not know what is!

The Wickerman

On my next blog I will be looking at the opposite from film - AyeWrite - Glasgow's very own Book Festival. Be sure to have a peak!!

Glasgow - A Cultural Phenomenon

When asked to do a blog on Cultural Events in Glasgow I did not know where to start nor which ones to mainly home in on. Glasgow: being our very own Cultural Capital has absorbed this culture from a very early stage.

'Enlightenment' - This one word has shaped our cultural awareness which be absorb on a regular basis. From 1752 onwards Glasgows cultural events have expanded getting brighter and better as centuries modernised. In 1990 we were designated as the European City of Culture.

 Now for the more exciting stuff...

My blog going to give you an insight into Glasgow's liberal, influencial and expanding cultural events from my perspective. Being a Glaswegian myself, I have had first hand experience of these events. Glasgow has something for everyone; art, music, sports, comedy, film, exhibition and there is even the option for an alternative culture.   There is constantly something going on in Glasgow, whether it being a small event in the underground scene or a large scale festival; Glasgow has it all. I have attached a link of past and up and coming major festivals in Glasgow. - Cultural Events 2011

Over the next few weeks I am going to review and comment on some of my favourite cultural events Glasgow has to offer. I hope you all enjoy and feel free to comment with your opinions.