Glasgow Life confirms 2025 Summer of Events programme
Glasgow Life has unveiled a thrilling 2025 Summer of Events programme which will bring top local, national and international artists, musicians and performers to Glasgow!
Article Source: Glasgow Life
Last Updated: 23 April 2025 9:17
Image Credit: Kris Kesiak
The city will once again be home to plenty of free and low-cost cultural and family-friendly entertainment when the Glasgow Mela, Merchant City Festival and World Pipe Band Championships return between June and August.
Glasgow Life, the charity that leads culture and sport in Glasgow, will launch its Summer of Events with the ever-popular Mela in Kelvingrove Park on Sunday 22 June.
The Mela is Glasgow’s multicultural music, dance and arts festival and is free for all to enjoy. Festival goers can expect first-class performances by Glaswegian, Scottish and overseas acts, including Gtown Desi, Saloni and Maya Lakhani.
The Mela also features food from around the world and gives people a chance to play a mix of sports like tennis, pickleball, kabaddi and volleyball.
During the event, Kelvingrove Bandstand will host various panel discussions and workshops. The topics include health and wellbeing through the arts, music and memory and South Asian artists in experimental practices.
The bandstand will also stage a collaboration with Glasgow Life Museums’ Intercultural Youth Group. The programme will build on the Scottish-Asian Creative Artists’ Network’s aim to raise and discuss key issues within and for South Asian communities through the Mela.
Glasgow’s Summer of Events will continue when the Merchant City Festival brings its special blend of arts, circus, dance, live music and more to the streets and venues of the Merchant City from Friday 18 July to Sunday 20 July.
Image Credit: Kris Kesiak
Merchant City Festival event sponsors Merchant Square and The Social Hub will be among the facilities featuring activities and performances from Scotland’s children’s theatre agency Imaginate, leading outdoor arts agency Surge Festival and Bridgeman Arts.
Among the shows set to wow audiences at this year’s festival is Follow Me, a performance which follows two urban acrobats on a surprising and interactive journey through the Merchant City. Scotland’s own Dudendance will present Alien Species, featuring spectacular costumes that can be shed, shaped and transformed by the wind.
This Merchant City Festival will also include shows by Four Nations bursary acts, newly created by street performers from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales.
The 2025 Merchant City Festival will launch with a mass participation ceilidh as part of the Glasgow 850 programme celebrating the 850 years since the city gained Burgh status in 1175. Festivalgoers will again be able to look round its famous markets and food stalls which stock various eye-catching items and delicious delicacies.
Glasgow’s Summer of Events will sign off in sensational style with the World Pipe Band Championships on Glasgow Green on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 August.
Image Credit: Alan Harvey (SNS)
Scotland’s biggest week of bagpipes, Piping Live!, is also being held in Glasgow this year. The festival will run from Monday 11 August to Sunday 17 August.
The World Pipe Band Championships pit the best pipers and drummers on the planet against one another in a bid to be named World Champions. The 2024 competitive piping spectacular starred 204 bands from 13 countries, with more than 7,000 pipers and drummers taking to the field.
Tickets for the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships will go on sale in May. Visit www.theworlds.co.uk for more information.
Billy Garrett, Director of Culture, Tourism and Events at Glasgow Life, 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.”
To stay up to date with Glasgow’s Summer of Events, subscribe to the Glasgow Life newsletter.
The Glasgow Mela and Merchant City Festival formed two of seven successful Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding 2025-28 applications made by Glasgow Life.
Creative Scotland confirmed on 30 January 2025 it has awarded the Mela £50,000 for 2025-26. In total, the event will benefit from £169,100 of Creative Scotland funding over the next three years. This year’s Merchant City Festival will receive £62,834 from Creative Scotland and £227,167 in total between 2025 and 2028.
Sponsored Links
Latest Glasgow News
The Maclean Brothers row onto Celtic Connections bill as new wave of shows announced
The Maclean Brothers are among a wave of exciting new names to join the world-renowned Celtic Connections bill, it has been announced.
READ MORE
BBC CBeebies starts the panto season at Glasgow cinemas
The CBeebies panto Cinderella is coming to the big screen in Glasgow from Friday 21st November.
READ MORE
The Pavilion Theatre is taking part in the largest Black Friday Theatre Sale in the UK
As part of Trafalgar Entertainment, customers can now access some of the best theatre ticket deals for shows at the Pavilion Theatre as well as unmissable productions in the West End.
READ MORE
BBC ALBA Hogmanay Ceilidh to broadcast live from Glasgow
BBC ALBA will bring together some of Gaelic music's biggest names as Cèilidh na Bliadhn' Ùire returns to Glasgow to celebrate Hogmanay and usher in 2026.
READ MORE
Cast Announced for Flora, a new musical coming to The Pavilion Theatre Glasgow
The full cast has been revealed for Flora which sees one of Scotland's most famous daughters, Flora MacDonald, take centre stage to tell her own tale!
READ MORE
Christmas in Edinburgh and Glasgow: Celebrate the festive season with Candlelight Concerts
Featuring classic Christmas carols, this live, multi-sensory musical experience will light up St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral and Merchants House and The Trades Hall for an unforgettable evening.
READ MORE
Innis & Gunn to open the biggest festive beer hall in Glasgow at Winter Wonderland on The Green
Glasgow is getting its largest-ever Christmas beer hall, and it’s all down to award-winning brewer Innis & Gunn.
READ MORE
Find a festive backdrop in Glasgow and the West
From frosty gardens to cosy tearooms, National Trust for Scotland places in Glasgow and the West are offering a host of winter experiences and special events this festive season.
READ MORE
Glaswegians invited to Panto Town as Glasgow 850 finishes with festive flourish
Glaswegians are being urged to embrace the unique spirit of the city's pantomimes with the launch of Get You in Panto Town!
READ MORE
Buchanan Galleries celebrates the season of giving with festive family fun
The magic of Christmas has arrived at Buchanan Galleries, with a heartwarming line-up of festive activities taking place throughout November and December.
READ MORE
Scottish Ballet creates a brand new wee version of the big ballet
Scottish Ballet's Wee Nutcracker is coming to Glasgow's Tramway this December. The beloved festive ballet, The Nutcracker, has been specially adapted for wee ones aged 5+ and their families!
READ MORE
The Wizard Wae The Big Bawz: New adult panto brings comedy to Scotland in January
January needn't be a drag as Scotland's brand-new adult panto, The Wizard Wae The Big Bawz, hits the road, arriving just when the country needs a burst of joy!
READ MORE
Matthew Kelly and George Costigan lead new production of Waiting for Godot at the Citz
Matthew Kelly and George Costigan star as Estragon and Vladimir in a new production of Waiting for Godot, co-produced with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Octagon Theatre Bolton.
READ MORE
Hoolie in the Hydro opens doors to young Gaels for Glasgow 850
More than 1,300 Glasgow schoolchildren are being given the opportunity to access live music as part of a special tie-up between Hoolie in the Hydro and Glasgow 850.
READ MORE
ASN sessions to be held at Winter Wonderland Glasgow Green
Dedicated ASN sessions are to be hosted at Glasgow's Winter Wonderland at Glasgow Green to enable families in need of support to have a festive day out.
READ MORE
77th Glasgow (Disabled) Scouts awarded with highest honour given to volunteer led groups
The 77th Glasgow (Disabled) Scouts has been recognised with The King's Award for Voluntary Service 2025, the highest honour for volunteer-led groups in the UK.
READ MORE
Topgolf celebrating 25 years of fun with a week of deals and prizes
Topgolf's journey started in Watford at the turn of the millennium and has since grown into a global enterprise with more than 100 venues worldwide.
READ MORE
The Doddie Weir match ball delivery is voted Greatest Murrayfield Moment
Doddie Weir’s emotional match ball delivery at Murrayfield in 2017 has been voted the greatest moment in the stadium’s 100-year history, after thousands of fans took part in a nationwide poll.
READ MORE
Glasgow Fort unwraps festive celebrations
Christmas magic is set to return to Glasgow Fort on Thursday 20th November as the centre unveils its seasonal line-up!
READ MORE
Global fashion brand Stradivarius opens first Glasgow store at Silverburn
Scotland's leading retail and leisure destination, Silverburn, opens Glasgow's first-ever Stradivarius store, further elevating its fashion offering.
READ MORE
Boney M ft Maizie and Newton Faulkner join Fun For Life Fest lineup
Boney M featuring Maizie Williams are set to co-headline the Fun For Life Fest on Saturday 16 May 2026, with Newton Faulkner also joining the line up.
READ MORE
Trafalgar Entertainment becomes official sponsor of Box Office Radio
Global live entertainment company – Trafalgar Entertainment – has become the official sponsor of Box Office Radio.
READ MORE
New book launches in Busby by local author, Marissa McCudden
Debut author, Marissa McCudden, has launched her new book, 'There's Lots of Different Types of Clever' with illustrator, Michael Spy on Amazon.
READ MORE
Much loved classic Scottish play, The Steamie, is set to return to venues in 2026
The Steamie has been scrubbed up ahead of making a return to theatres across the country next year as part of an exciting new chapter in its long-standing story in the theatre landscape.
READ MORE
Medea to tour Scotland in 2026
Bard in the Botanics will be launching their 25th Anniversary year with a Scotland-wide tour of their award-winning version of Medea, by Kathy McKean (after Euripides).
READ MORE
The Ivy Buchanan Street unveils festive set menu for 2025
From traditional Turkey Ballotine to a tangy Tamarind Beetroot & Endive Salad the festive set menu brings the best of festive flavours, reimagined by The Ivy across two or three courses.
READ MORE
Glasgow will shine bright this Christmas with a new city centre lighting trail
Glasgow's Christmas lights are a much-loved tradition, and this year they will shine brighter than ever with a brand-new Christmas lighting trail set to illuminate the city centre from 20 November!
READ MORE
KOCHCHI expands to Glasgow, bringing Sri Lankan heat to the West End
The West End will welcome KOCHCHI, the award-winning Sri Lankan street food brand, as it opens its first standalone restaurant in the former The Hanoi Bike Shop on Ruthven Lane.
READ MORE
Imagine Theatre prepares for an exciting season of pantomimes across Scotland
Imagine Theatre proudly presents a spectacular lineup of family pantomimes across Scotland bursting with laughter, music, sparkle, and dance starring some of Scotland's best-loved entertainers!
READ MORE
Marti Pellow stars as Scrooge in a major new musical production coming to Glasgow in 2026
The pop prince and former frontman of Wet Wet Wet realises his life-long dream of bringing the iconic Christmas Carol character to life on a major stage!
READ MORESponsored Links
Sponsored Links