This year holds more significance for Glasgow than many other cities, largely due to the amount of time and money spent on the Glasgow 1999 project.

Genuinely interesting exhibitions kick off the year well. Winning - The Design of Sports at the McLellan Galleries and Fashion 99 at The Arches both have the more populist touch that saw crowds flocking to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibition, the James Bond exhibition and Movie Magic.

Winning, at the Sauchiehall Street galleries until March 14, takes a wide-ranging look at the increasing influence which sport is having on many different aspects of our culture.

Sportswear has never been so popular with many people wearing little else but unfortunately the clothing is more often than not accessorised with a cigarette or Big Mac. What kind of influence, therefore, does sport needs to have before it makes an impact on our health culture?

Find out more about Winning from 0141 227 1999 or info@glasgow1999.co.uk

The Arches in Midland Street is the venue for Fashion 99. This aims to celebrate contemporary fashion (anyone for sportswear?) and features new designers alongside more established names.

Fashion 99 runs until March 7 and more information is available from the telephone number and website address above.

Now that the pantomime characters have sloped off back to Nursery Rhymeland for the rest of the year, theatre is back on the boards.

Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre makes a good start with Terrence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea which, it says here, examines the destructive power of love. It runs from tomorrow until February 6 so we'll have forgotten about all that nasty destruction by Valentine's Day.

Contact 0131 229 9697 for more details.

There's more heat and passion in Scalloway in Shetland tomorrow night as the town's fire festival takes place.

From the Shore at Scalloway, the traditional torchlit procession is followed by the burning of a galley.

Due to start at 7pm and to end at 3am, the advice would be to wrap up warm.

This should warm Shetland up quite nicely in preparation for

Up-Helly-A on January 26 and 27.

This traditional Viking Festival also culminates in the burning of a replica galley and will be as uproarious as most of us can stand.

While we're on legends and all things mystical, another exhibition in Glasgow looks beyond the real world. This time it's at the Collins Gallery which is part of Strathclyde University in Richmond Street.

Of Myths and Other Cultures has drawings and paintings influenced by mythology, folklore and fairytales.

Running from Saturday until February 13, it's worth the short stroll up the hill from George Street. For more information contact 0141 548 4145.

If you're extremely lucky, there will be a little room left at the inn tonight (g2 on Sauchiehall Street) where Mercury Rev will be

playing.

The success of the last album Deserter's Songs means that the tickets are on the toasty side of hot but it's worth checking on 0870 601 0002.

Different but just as sought-after are tickets for the RSNO Discovery Series at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Sunday, January 17 (and Thursday, February 4).

The season is well named, indicating its concentration on new and rarely heard work.

James MacMillan is the man in charge for Sunday's performance, conducting his own work Epiclesis, Sibelius' 5th Symphony and two pieces by Gerald Barry. For more details contact 0141 287 4000.

Meanwhile Celtic Connections carries on at a great pace until January 31. Brochures area available from the Ticket Centre at Candleriggs or contact 0141 353 4137.