IT began as an extension of the traditional Labour Day holiday, and in five years grew to rival the Edinburgh Fringe as one of the biggest arts festivals in the UK.

Glasgow's Mayfest was constantly challenged by its socialist roots, but from its inception it attracted some big names and major events to the city.

It was in the summer of 1982 that news broke of a fortnight-long festival being planned for the following May. The instigators were Ferelith Lean from 7:84 Theatre Company, Dave McLennan of Wildcat Stage Productions and Alex Clark, Scottish organiser of actors' union Equity. A modest leaflet promised ''a festival of popular theatre'' with seat prices pegged at between (pounds) 1.50 and (pounds) 5 and encouraged supporters to join a mailing list.

That first year included a solo performance by Whoopi Goldberg and ''ranting'' poetry by Benjamin Zephaniah. At the Citizens' John Byrne's Slab Boys had its first Glasgow run, and international work included Zagreb's Teater and TD with an astonishing puppet version of Hamlet and the first visit from the Black Light Theatre of Prague.

The godfather of Glaswegian stand-up, Arnold Brown, was there, a festival club was established in the Moir Hall at the Mitchell Theatre, and the theatre festival immediately included music too, ranging from French street singers to the return to his home town of Cream bass player Jack Bruce with his Deadloss Band. In its first year, Mayfest established itself as the promoter of a broad range of popular art and a shape that was to guide the programming of subsequent directors.

Ms Lean was succeeded, briefly, by Di Robson, lured north from the Covent Garden festival and then, controversially, by William Burdett-Coutts, who ran one of the largest venues on the Edinburgh Fringe. In fact, the synergies that link produced sustained the profile of the event and in 1990 his team produced the biggest Mayfest yet.

That effort, and the competition for audience in a year awash with events, produced a substantial deficit but it was cleared - and the festival sustained - by Robert Robson, who now runs the Lowry centre in Salford.

After 15 years, the festival foundered in 1997, with losses already well over (pounds) 100,000. Glasgow City Council, which was contributing (pounds) 500,000 annually, pulled the plug on the event.