How the Barras is reinventing itself with themed market events

The Herald Scotland

5 days ago

But in recent years, with their special themed market events, other communities from around the world have been given the chance to host a celebration of their culture in Glasgow's East End.
Before a Turkish weekend filled with freshly cooked pides and traditional teas in 2023, or the seafood-focused Festival of the Sea last month, the first of these events to prove a huge success was the Hong Kong market, launched in 2021.
Pictured: The Hong Kong market has become an annual event at The Barras (Image: Gordon Terris)
'I still remember around four years ago when I visited The Barras for the first time, it was quite dead. Half the stalls were empty,' Benny, a Barras stall holder and volunteer who has been involved with each edition of the now annual event, says.
'I needed somewhere to run my business and was able to pick a spot in the market, which is how I got to know the manager, Tom Joyes, quite well.
'One day, he asked if we could work together, and I told him I would be able to help run a market because a lot of people have had to move from Hong Kong to the UK due to political situations.'
With a plan now hatched Benny began reaching out to a community of Hong Kongers living in Glasgow and further afield to help transform the less-used London Road side of the area into a vibrant street market with over 125 traders in attendance.
'We prepared for about two months before the market,' he continues.
'Tom had said to me, 'You can do whatever you want with it, as long as it is authentic. Just don't give me fish and chips or anything.'"
'I told him that wouldn't be a problem, because that's not the kind of food we like. And the sweet and sour thing is so lame to us. As long as he didn't mind some things like chicken feet being served in The Barras, then yes, we could do that.'
Pictured: The event attracts huge crowds to the city's East End (Image: Gordon Terris)
When the first day of the market began, the team was surprised to witness queues of people forming from Moncur Street to the Gallowgate in search of authentic traditional dishes from Hong Kong.
'We didn't expect it to be so busy that first year,' Benny admits.
'I worried people would be disappointed with the long wait, but they were very encouraging when we apologised and told them it was all homemade food and that the stallholders were doing their best to keep up.
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'The event gave us a huge sense of encouragement, and as new immigrants living in the city, that's how we really felt 'People Make Glasgow'. They were so good to us, and that gave us a lot of confidence for the next year.'
Pictured: Vendors serve thousands over visitors across the weekend (Image: Pictures taken by Gordon Terris, Newsquest)
Knowing that the event had made a lasting impression, the Hong Kong market next year came back bigger and better, with more space to play with and different sections dedicated to crafts, food, and learning.
Though the weather was not on their side, with high winds sweeping through the streets, meaning many of the decorations prepped for the event had to be shelved, the second edition of the market was again a huge hit.
'We thought ok, people seem to love this event,' Benny says, 'and again it gave us the chance to show people how new immigrants want to contribute to the city.'
Dubbed 'Hong Kong 3', the third market took place just last month, as visitors old and new packed onto the streets surrounding The Barras sheds to get a taste of speciality dishes like imitation shark fin soup, Hong Kong-style French toast or deep-fried pig intestines.
Pictured: Queues line up to try authentic dishes (Image: Pictures taken by Gordon Terris, Newsquest)
Although food stalls form an integral part of the festival, Benny says the event means far more than the chance to explore a new cuisine.
'There are all kinds of crafts, and we bring Hong Kongers from all over the UK to Glasgow to share what they are making.
'We also have a historical section dedicated to showing what has been happening in Hong Kong over the last few years, and why we escaped to come here.
'There's a lot of food to try, but more than that, we want people to learn about our history, our culture and our cities so that they know the whole story.'
(Read more: How Scotland's growing Hong Kong community is thriving despite surveillance fears)
Looking towards the future, Benny hopes that the event will continue to grow each year, providing a platform for talented Hong Kongers to share a glimpse of their culture and attracting new visitors to The Barras.
To achieve this, he is looking to liaise with Glasgow City Council to try to expand the areas they are allowed to use for stallholder spaces around the market.
Pictured: Live performances take place across the weekend (Image: Pictures taken by Gordon Terris, Newsquest)
In the meantime, the Barras team has plenty of other events in the pipeline, such as a celebration of Colombia, complete with salsa dancers or an Italian-themed market sure to be a hit with pizza and pasta lovers.
'The exciting thing for us is always thinking, 'what can we do next?'' Barras Market manager, Chris Butler, says.
'It's always got to be pushing the envelope from each event to the next, and if it's not being done 'properly' then we won't do it.
'We want something like the Hong Kong market to be as authentic as it possibly can be.
'For Hong Kong 3, we had 45 stalls running the length of the street and a big marquee acting as a food hub.
'We're already thinking about what we can do differently next year, because there's always got to be something new to attract people to The Barras.
'It can't just be because you used to come down here with your mammy or granny, we want to be relevant and interesting, which to us means having an event on at least every couple of months.
'We want people psyched about whatever is happening next, and that drives us to keep going.'