How themed markets bring in a new crowd at the Barras

The Herald Scotland

25-07-2025

'Stay tuned for that,' he adds, stressing each consonant with a theatrical flourish. 'Meanwhile, peruse your wonderful traders selling decadent delights and whimsical wonders. Have a great night.'
Dreich is an understatement. At 5pm as traders were putting the final touches on their stalls, it was as if a bucket had been tipped over in the heavens. The rain was not so much falling in drops as sloshing down in a great continuous curtain of water.
For an hour, it poured down. I joined a cluster of photographers beneath the canopy of the stage in a bid to escape the deluge. Paul Puppet looked a little worried, curling the end of his handlebar moustache as he surveyed the stalls.
MC Paul Puppet at The Barras. (Image: GT) Moulin Rouge Night Market at The Barras. (Image: GT) Moulin Rouge Night Market at The Barras. (Image: GT) 'This is coming in more handy than I ever imagined,' he says, waving his cane. He uses it to prod a belly of water forming in the blue tarp above our heads. It sends a huge wave of rainwater gushing over the side of the stage, dangerously close to his equipment.
The Moulin Rouge night market is the latest in a string of themed takeover nights at the Barras Market in the East End. The theme 'explores the decadence and delights of being yourself', the perfect way to kick off Glasgow's Pride weekend (which culminated with a huge celebration at the Barrowlands on the Saturday).
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The Barras has become a 'real hub' for Glasgow's Pride. 'The market itself has gotten more and more for everybody as the years have gone on,' Paul Puppet says. 'It moves with the times. Ten years ago, you would not have put Pride, Moulin Rouge and Barras Market in the same sentence. That's pretty exciting, in and of itself.'
Themed markets at The Barras are relatively new. The market was hit hard during the pandemic, but the place where you can get anything has a knack for trying anything. In March 2023, it hosted the first Hong Kong-style street market. It was one of the busiest weekends in decades. They launched the Pride Night Market that same summer, followed by the Halloween Night Market in October. The dedicated events captured the city's attention, helping to usher in something of a renaissance. They also offered entirely new demographics to experience The Barras.
Setting up for The Barras Moulin Rouge Night Market. (Image: GT) Traders at The Barras night market. (Image: GT) 'There are a lot of people in the service industry that don't get to experience The Barras at the weekends,' Paul Puppet says. Having run Spangled Cabaret for 17 years, the compere and DJ is also a regular host at the Polo Lounge. He's no stranger to a weekend shift. 'A weeknight evening just brings a whole different crowd here.'
Thanks to the rain, the crowd has yet to arrive, but slowly, flashes of feather boas and rainbow leis appear before disappearing into the covered market section.
Margaret Gavin and friend Nisha Sran turn heads as they strut down Suffolk Street beneath a large umbrella. The pair have raided Gavin's costume box and are decked out to the nines in matching black and red burlesque outfits completed with feather boas and bowler hats.
'I got forced to dress up today,' Sran laughs.
They are a bit disappointed with the weather, Gavin tells me. They stop to pose for a few pictures before heading off to scope out the market.
Their arrival marks a shift in the atmosphere. The rain has gone from sheets to drops, and the sky is looking brighter over the East End. It's edging closer to 6pm, and the can-can dancers have yet to arrive, so I venture into the maze of stalls beneath the Barrowlands Ballroom.
(Image: GT) Margaret Gavin and friend Nisha Sran turn heads.Traders are kitted out in corsets, feathers and tulle. The scent of incense wafts through the market hall where foot traffic is finally beginning to pick up. Young and old alike peruse the bric-a-brac, Labubu-themed toys and keychains and endless racks of second-hand clothes. Outside food vendors are filling the air with everything from the sweet smell of fresh crumble to the umami fumes of cooking noodles.
Market manager Chris Butler zooms about, keeping an eye on things. He explains that these themed market nights are key to keeping The Barras exciting. 'This is to keep it vibrant, keep it fresh, keep the impetus going for different themes.'
They are trying to come up with new ways to introduce special events and markets, especially ones that are 'a wee bit more edgy' or 'something different'. The first Festival of the Sea took place in March which transformed the market into a celebration of Clyde fishing culture. This year marked the third Hong Kong market as well ('our biggest and best yet'). An Italian-themed weekend is currently in the works.
'Loads of things are in the pipeline,' Butler says. 'But I can't tell you too much.'
Can-can dancers at the Moulin Rouge Night Market. (Image: GT) Can-can dancers at the Moulin Rouge Night Market. (Image: GT) Can-can dancers at the Moulin Rouge Night Market. (Image: GT) It's true that opening up on a weeknight allows more people to 'experience the Barrowlands vibe'. 'The best thing is when people say, what's next?' Butler says. 'It really makes me pleased because you know you've done something that's touched people and made them a wee bit happy. It's a wet Thursday night and The Barras is bumping.'
I look around, relieved that the rain has nearly subsided. Just in time for the can-can dancers. They burst into the market in full regalia. Corsets, ruffled knickers and high-cut skirts, cheeky rhinestone kisses stamped on their shoulder blades, and feathered headpieces burst from their chignons.
They smile and greet a growing crowd of iPhone cameras before taking the stage for their first dance. They shimmy and high kick through a series of songs, reaching a crescendo with a sultry dance to Lady Marmalade, from Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film Moulin Rouge. Edgy indeed.
'I've always loved the Moulin Rouge,' trader Jeni Stevenson tells me. 'Anything romantic, I love.'
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The animated Little Shop of Chaos owner was born on Valentine's Day. She and partner Richard Meddicks are in full cosplay this evening, something the couple has been 'dabbling in' recently. Jeni is wearing a full-length red corset dress with elbow-length black gloves. She and Richard have been recreating the Moulin Rouge film poster in front of the windmill.
'He watched it on Thursday, and at the end, I asked if he wanted to be Christian. He went, who's Christian?' she laughs.
One of the first traders back after lockdown, Stevenson agrees that the night markets make The Barras more accessible. A lot of traders have 'long-time' clients, but the themed nights are a specific reason to go to The Barras. They make it an event, drawing in a more varied crowd.
'The market that's there every weekend is kind of the same, whereas these night markets have new traders, new faces,' she says. 'There are acts you wouldn't see anywhere else. It's a new experience, that's why people tend to like these a wee bit more.'
Moulin Rouge Night Market at The Barras. (Image: GT) Moulin Rouge Night Market at The Barras. (Image: GT) The couple head off to explore the pop-up stalls. The care that goes into the themed events at The Barras, from the all-out décor to the fresh mix of traders and food vendors, makes for a lively and original affair. Whether it's a night market to launch Glasgow's Pride or a celebration of West Coast seafood, it's clear the special occasions have ushered in an entirely new way to experience the famous market.
'The Barras has never lost its spark,' Butler says thoughtfully. 'It's a vibrant, building market that's never going to go away. It's only going to get better.'
Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1