23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Life announces 2025 Summer of Events programme
The programme will offer a dynamic mix of free and low-cost cultural events and family-friendly entertainment across some of Glasgow's most iconic venues and public spaces.
The summer festivities will kick off with the Glasgow Mela on Sunday, June 22, in Kelvingrove Park.
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The city's signature multicultural festival, the Mela, will showcase an eclectic mix of music, dance, and arts, featuring performers from Glasgow, across Scotland, and around the world.
Acts already confirmed include Gtown Desi, Saloni, and Maya Lakhani.
Alongside the main stage performances, visitors can sample a range of international cuisine and take part in sporting activities such as kabaddi, volleyball, tennis, and pickleball.
Kelvingrove Bandstand will host panel discussions and workshops exploring themes like health and wellbeing through the arts, music and memory, and the role of South Asian artists in experimental practices.
(Image: Kris Kesiak) A special collaboration with Glasgow Life Museums' Intercultural Youth Group will also be featured during the event.
Following the Mela, the spotlight will shift to the Merchant City Festival, which returns from Friday, July 18, to Sunday, July 20.
Transforming the heart of the city into a hub of live music, performance, circus, and dance, this year's theme, Fair: Play, celebrates Glasgow's traditional Fair Fortnight.
The festival will include programming from Scotland's children's theatre agency Imaginate, outdoor arts collective Surge Festival, and Bridgeman Arts.
Newly commissioned street performances from Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales will debut as part of the Four Nations bursary programme.
In celebration of Glasgow's 850th anniversary as a Burgh, this year's festival will launch with a mass participation ceilidh, blending tradition and celebration in true Glaswegian style.
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The summer will come to a rousing close with the World Pipe Band Championships, taking place at Glasgow Green on Friday, August 15, and Saturday, August 16.
The event will see the best pipers and drummers from around the globe compete for the prestigious world title.
Running alongside the championships will be Piping Live!, Scotland's largest piping festival, which will take place from August 11 to 17, featuring performances, competitions, and cultural events throughout the city.
(Image: Alan Harvey - SNS Group) Billy Garrett, director of culture, tourism, and events at Glasgow Life, said the summer programme is a cornerstone of the city's cultural calendar.
He said: 'There is a lot to get excited about in Glasgow this summer, with the Mela, Merchant City Festival and World Pipe Band Championships promising fantastic days out and a chance to make unforgettable memories with family and friends.
"Our Summer of Events programme is central to the city's cultural events calendar and helps to improve people's mental, physical and economic wellbeing by offering something fun for everyone to enjoy.'
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The Glasgow Mela and Merchant City Festival were among seven successful applications by Glasgow Life for Creative Scotland's Multi-Year Funding for 2025 to 2028.
On January 30, Creative Scotland confirmed that the Mela will receive £50,000 in 2025–26, with total funding of £169,100 across three years.
This year's Merchant City Festival will benefit from £62,834 in funding, with a total award of £227,167 over the same period.
Glasgow's 2025 Summer of Events is shaping up to be a season to remember. To keep up with the latest announcements and full event details, residents and visitors alike are encouraged to subscribe to the Glasgow Life newsletter.
