WestFest is back for its third annual festival this June!

WestFest, Glasgow's biggest community led, cultural festival today launches the programme for its 2025 event!

Article Source: WestFest
Last Updated: 17 April 2025 9:19

Image Credit: Gavin McCourt Photography

After a hugely successful 2024 festival, comprising 131 events and reaching total audience numbers of 110,000 WestFest - Glasgow’s biggest community led, cultural festival today launches the programme for its 2025 festival.

WestFest is Glasgow’s biggest community led, cultural festival and every June captures the imaginations of participants, residents and visitors in the West End of Glasgow.

Taking place across 60 venues in Glasgow’s West End from 1st to 29th June, this year’s festival promises an eclectic array of events, performances, and activities- with something for everyone.

WestFest 2025 will feature the usual mix of street festivals, concerts, community events, workshops, and exhibitions. Attendees can also look forward to the return of some festival favourites such as theThe Big Sunday, Bard in the Botanics, the Glasgow Vintage Bus Tour and the ever-popular Kelvingrove Outdoor Ceilidh.

The highlight for many will be the colourful, free programme of outdoor events that the festival has become known for. This year these are:

• Kelvingrove Outdoor Ceilidh – Sunday 1st June, 2–4pm
• Vinicombe Street Gala – Saturday 7th June, 12–4pm
• ARCeilidh & Dear Green Music Fest at University of Glasgow – Sunday 15th June, 12.30–7pm
• Midsummer Solstice Fire Show at Kelvingrove Galleries – Saturday 21st June, 9.30pm
• The Big Sunday on Kelvin Way – Sunday 29th June, 11am–4pm

WestFest’s Director is Brendon McIlroy who founded the festival in 2022 in response to ‘overwhelming demand’ for community and cultural events in the West End, in the absence of former festivals.

Brendon says: “It’s hard to believe WestFest is now in its’ third year and despite some alarming funding cuts across the arts and events sectors- the festival has managed to keep growing and is going from strength to strength.

“Last year it’s estimated that total attendance across our events was in excess of 110,000. For 2025 we are focusing on growing that number and developing our community events programme -producing and encouraging events all across the West of Glasgow, not just Hillhead as most would expect.”

WestFest 2025 will see the return of the festival’s popular illustrated talks programme at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall in partnership with Glasgow850 - featuring over 20 free talks and workshops from some prominent west end voices.

Despite facing funding cuts and an uncertain climate for events and the arts, WestFest has been made possible this year due to support from partners such as National Lottery Communities Fund and Cala Homes - who are sponsoring The Big Sunday at Kelvin Way - a new large scale community event for this year.

The WestFest team will be launching this years’ festival brochure and website on Easter Sunday 20th April with a fabulous performance tour across the West End from the likes of Sambayabamba, Brass Aye? and Think Circus. The team are inviting folks from across Glasgow to come and join them to celebrate the launch of WestFest 2025!

Head to WestFest’s Facebook page for timings and details.

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