GLASGOW

Scotland’s city of art & culture

Glasgow’s industrial heritage may have earned it a rough and rugged image. However, closer acquaintance reveals a vibrant city bursting with culture and hospitality. Recently named a UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow offers an assortment of attractions. With a variety of festivals spread across the year, tourists will enjoy top-quality entertainment no matter when they visit.

With 130 music events each week, on average, Glasgow has been described by Time Magazine as 'Europe's secret capital of music'. Whether you would prefer to attend a classical recital in the plush surroundings of the Royal Concert Hall or catch an unsigned band at King Tut’s Wahwah Hut, Glasgow has it covered. Alongside permanent venues, such as Barrowlands, The Arches and O2 Academy, Glasgow offers a range of festivals throughout the year. Internationally renowned acts mingle with emerging talent at Celtic Connections and the Glasgow International Jazz Festival. For that traditional Scottish sound, Piping Live celebrates the bagpipe in all its forms and culminates with the World Pipe Band Championships, which brings together over 8,000 pipers at Glasgow Green every August.

Glasgow has a diverse and accessible theatrical tradition. You can enjoy a lavish touring show at the King’s or, if you are pushed for time, grab a Play, a Pie and a Pint at Oran Mor. The Citizens, the Tron and the Tramway offer innovative programs of contemporary work and new twists on the classics. Glasgow is also the home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet, who perform regularly at the Theatre Royal.

There is always something to smile about at The Stand Comedy

Club as it is open seven nights a week hosting a range of comic talent from established acts to absolute newcomers. Their weekly open mic night offers a showcase for beginners, with some of the acts appearing for their very first outing. The comedy quotient peaks in the spring with the Glasgow International Comedy Festival. Over the last nine years, this has grown to more than 400 comedy shows at over 50 venues throughout the city.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is the largest civic museum and art gallery in the United Kingdom. With an audience-focused, family-friendly approach, Kelvingrove presents its 8,000 diverse exhibits in an engaging and accessible manner. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and operating as school up to 1979, Scotland Street School contains interactive displays and classroom settings allowing you a glimpse of education from the Victorian era to the recent past. The Riverside Museum, due to open June 2011, celebrates transport and travel whilst the People’s Palace gives a flavor of Glasgow Life over the years. All of Glasgow’s publiclyowned museums offer free entry.

Whether you are visiting Glasgow for a short-break or a fortnight’s holiday, you will have no difficulty finding cultural activities of interest to everyone.