Glasgow’s Merchant City Festival has announced a fun-filled programme for this year’s weekend-long celebration of entertainment.
The popular event will run from Friday, July 19, to Saturday, July 21, and feature outdoor arts, circus and dance acts, musicians and more.
The theme of this year's festival is Fair: Play, celebrating Glasgow’s Fair Fortnight, the traditional holiday when Glaswegians relaxed and had fun.
Entertainment acts will take to the streets and venues of the Merchant City – including the event sponsors Merchant Square and The Social Hub Glasgow – across the three days of the festival.
On the Saturday and Sunday, Merchant Square will host free family days featuring family ceilidhs, Bebop Bairns discos, dancers, puppet shows and roaming characters like the multicoloured Prom Pom Queen. The Prom Pom Queen act is co-commissioned with Scotland’s children’s theatre agency Imaginate.
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The much-loved Merchant City Festival markets will also return, offering craft, farmers’ and gift markets and food stalls.
For the first time, Merchant Square will host musical entertainment each night of the festival. The musical evenings kick off with a ceilidh and are followed by performances from two bands. A DJ will then keep the party going from 10.00pm-midnight.
Renowned Glasgow festival Celtic Connections will also bring folk, roots and world music to Merchant Square on the Friday night.
The music programme on the Saturday night celebrates Glasgow Pride, which is also taking place in the city that day, with a Queer-led programme including Megan Black. The Sunday evening features sets by Glaswegian roots trio Awkward Family Portraits and 50s pop outfit The Shivering Sheiks.
As well as the activity taking place in and around the streets of the Merchant City, the 2024 event includes Hip Replacement community disco nights where the ‘middle edge’ crew can enjoy top tunes on a large dancefloor. The Hip Replacement nights take place at the Old Fruitmarket on the Friday and Saturday.
The Merchant City Festival will start in style on Friday, July 19, with a music programme from Surge, Scotland’s leading outdoor arts agency. The programme begins with a performance by singer-songwriter and clarsach player Pauline Vallance in Brunswick Street. Glaswegian indie-folk singer The Jimmy Hoo Ha will then take to the microphone in Wilson Street before Zimbabwean DJ Elanda lays down hypnotic tracks in Brunswick Street.
To ensure festivalgoers’ safety, the following roads will be closed to traffic from 6.00am on Friday July 19 until 11.59pm on Sunday July 21: Brunswick Street, Bell Street (between Candleriggs and Walls Street), Candleriggs, Garth Street, Wilson Street (between Glassford Street and Candleriggs), Hutcheson Street and Albion Street (between Blackfriars Street and Trongate).
Billy Garrett, Director of Culture, Tourism and Events at Glasgow Life, said: “The Merchant City Festival is a core and popular part of Glasgow’s Summer of Events programme. Performers turn the streets and businesses of the area into a vibrant and fun hub of indoor and outdoor art which offers something for everyone.
"From amazing acts to great food and music, the Merchant City Festival has it all. The diversity, scale and quality of the programme for this year’s festival will definitely create another wonderful weekend of entertainment in Glasgow’s city centre.”
Julie Edwin, of Merchant Square, said: “The relationship between Merchant Square and the festival stretches back many years. We have enjoyed so many Merchant City Festivals going back a generation, so we are delighted to once again be a major sponsor, and key venue, for what promises to be another great weekend.
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"There will be lots going on in Merchant Square including exciting family-friendly performances, programmed in partnership with Imaginate/Edinburgh International Children’s Festival. Every evening we will have a live music programme until midnight too. It's an exciting time for Merchant Square and the Merchant City with new restaurants such as Sano joining our already popular line-up, and a refreshed events programme bringing new energy to the district.”
Ben McLeod, General Manager at The Social Hub Glasgow, said: “The Social Hub is proud to sponsor and partner with the Merchant City Festival to help deliver what is a highlight of Glasgow’s fantastic calendar of cultural events. The entertainment line-up at this year’s event has something for all the family and we cannot wait to welcome visitors to The Social Hub for some special performances.
"We believe a better society is created when people with vision and talent come together from all walks of life and the Merchant City Festival will help to establish us at the heart of our new community.”
Visit the Merchant City Festival webpage on the Glasgow Life website to see the full programme and timings.
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