Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is one of Scotland's most diverse cultural events, covering everything from music, film and visual art to theatre, dance, and literature.

About Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

	Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival , National Event
	Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Website
	Facebook information can be found here
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Listed Under Attractions - Festivals

A significant event in Scotland’s cultural calendar, the festival takes a positive stance on mental health, celebrating artistic endeavour by those with experience of mental health issues and connecting audiences to creative and innovative work.

Together with a wide range of mental health organisations, arts bodies, community groups and artists, we aim to challenge stigma and promote social change.

We take every opportunity to ensure the details for Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival are accurate, if any of the above information is incorrect we would appreciate if you could take a minute to suggest an edit.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.

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Upcoming Events at Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

Exhibitions

Jessica Ramm: Hard Edges Soft Layers

13th September 2025 - 30th November 2025

Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow City Centre

Hard Edges Soft Layers is an exhibition by Jessica Ramm, artist and writer based in Glasgow, exploring vulnerability within motherhood.

Exhibitions

Feed

13th September 2025 - 9th January 2026

Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow City Centre

Feed is an installation at GoMA promoting inclusive, sustainable approaches to infant feeding and public space.

Exhibitions

Brave Spaces

10th October 2025 - 8th November 2025

Trongate 103, Glasgow City Centre

An exhibition of original screenprints created by participants working with Bazooka Arts and Glasgow Print Studio, in response to the theme Brave Spaces.

Exhibitions

Artspace: Creative Connections in Callander - Exhibition

20th October 2025 - 9th November 2025

Callander Library, Callander

This exhibition features work produced by participants in six weeks of workshops led by a professional artist, responding to SMHAF’s 2025 theme, Comfort & Disturb.

Exhibitions

Do Not Disturb!

20th October 2025 - 20th November 2025

Hillhead Library, Glasgow West End

Do Not Disturb! is a series of staged photographs created to tell the stories of those who have been, or still are, affected by poor mental health.

Health and Wellbeing

Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

20th October 2025 - 9th November 2025

Nationwide

The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is back from 20th October to 9th November 2025, exploring the theme of Comfort & Disturb.

Exhibitions

Time and Space: Comfort in Chaos

20th October 2025 - 9th November 2025

Byres Road Community Hub, Glasgow West End

Time and Space presents a multi-media exhibition exploring Comfort & Disturb through the experiences of people who hear voices and/or self-harm.

Exhibitions

I Used to Be…

21st October 2025 - 9th November 2025

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, Coatbridge

Textiles exhibition by Eilidh Manson featuring items that we expect to bring comfort, but, on closer inspection, are not what we expect them to be.

Exhibitions

Gartnavel Royal Summer House Residency

21st October 2025 - 1st October 2026

Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow West End

Project Ability artists and inpatients from Gartnavel Royal Hospital reflect on ideas of comfort and disturbance in nature, with visits to the Gartnavel Summer House and gardens.

Exhibitions

Out of Sight Out of Mind Exhibition

22nd October 2025 - 9th November 2025

Summerhall, Edinburgh South

The biggest mental health art exhibition in Scotland in it's 13th year will present artworks made by 400 people.

Film

Grey Milk & Lost Kin

7th November 2025 - 8th November 2025

Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow, Glasgow City Centre

In Grey Milk & Lost Kin, artist filmmaker Wilma Stone crafts an imaginary world of her hidden ancestral lineage, from the Gypsy/Traveller communities of Scotland.

Theatre

Spoken Word Supper Club

8th November 2025

Reconnect Howden Park, Livingston

A vibrant evening of spoken word fuelled by food and fierce new writing by young people living in West Lothian.

Film

Disturbances

8th November 2025

Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow, Glasgow City Centre

This collection of short films blends animation and drama, reframing a series of distinctive interruptions to everyday lives as powerful opportunities for reflection and exploration.

Workshops

ReMode presents: The Repair Retreat

8th November 2025

ReMode, Paisley

Slow down and stitch new life into your clothes at ReMode's Repair Retreat. Join us for a mindful, hands-on session of creative mending and personal restoration

Film

Psychogeographies

8th November 2025

Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow, Glasgow City Centre

Taking you on a journey through physical and imagined geographies, these diverse short films reveal complex landscapes shaped by trauma, grief and conflict.

Workshops

Myth and the Self: Creative Explorations of Gold and Shadow

8th November 2025

Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Leith

Two creative, experiential dramatherapy-based workshops as part of Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2025. Discover the power of myth!

Film

Palestine Comedy Club

8th November 2025

Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow, Glasgow City Centre

Following six Palestinian comedians coming from Haifa, Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron,and the Golan Heights who come together to form the first Palestinian Comedy Club.

Film

Chasing The Light

8th November 2025

Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow, Glasgow City Centre

An idealistic dream becomes a world-renowned centre of Tibetan Buddhist practice on an Irish peninsula in Chasing the Light, a hopeful and inspiring feature documentary from director, Maurice O'Brien.

Music

Easy Sundays: The TAM Sessions

9th November 2025

Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh Old Town

The TAM Sessions is an open and informal trad session, but with the lovely additional invitation to bring your sewing, knitting, crochet, or any other crafting project that you enjoy.

Festivals

WestFest

, Glasgow West End

WestFest returns for its annual Summer festival between Sunday 1st and Sunday 29th June, delivering a wide array of high quality, vibrant and inclusive events to the area!

Festivals

Glasgow Cathedral Festival

Glasgow Cathedral Castle Street, Glasgow City Centre G4 0QZ

Glasgow Cathedral Festival brings music, art and education to the dramatic setting of Glasgow's medieval cathedral!

Festivals

Glasgow Science Festival

, Various Locations Glasgow

Glasgow Science Festival is back with a fresh batch of science-fuelled fun for adults and weans alike. Explore the world through talks, walks, art, film, experiments and even yoga!

Festivals

Glasgow Film Festival

Glasgow Film Theatre Rose Street, Glasgow City Centre G3 6RB

One of the friendliest film festivals on the planet with a wide-ranging programme that celebrates every corner of world cinema and provides a fantastic showcase for the best of Scottish film!

Festivals

Aye Write!

The Mitchell Library North Street, Glasgow City Centre G3 7DN

Aye Write is Glasgow's annual book festival, bringing writers and speakers from across Britain and beyond to the heart of Scotland's largest city!

Festivals

Being Human Festival

Hosted by the University of Glasgow , Online Event Glasgow

The University of Glasgow channels the Glaswegian spirit of invention and reinvention in its Being Human festival programme.

Festivals

Sonica

Sonica , Various Locations Glasgow

Sonica is an 11-day biennial festival in Glasgow, dedicated to world class visual sonic arts, presenting exceptional international artists alongside UK talent in diverse venues city-wide!

Festivals

Merchant City Festival

220 High Street, Glasgow City Centre G4 OQW

The Merchant City Festival is an annual extravaganza of street theatre, music, dance, circus, visual arts, comedy & literature in Glasgow's City Centre!

Festivals