The city of Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, has many amenities for a wide range of cultural activities

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

, from curling

Curling

Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...

 to opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 and from football to art

Art

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

 appreciation; it also has a large selection of museums that include those devoted to transport

Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

, religion

Religion

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

, and modern art

Modern art

Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...

. The city often hosts exhibitions and events in these areas. Glasgow has three major universities. each involved in creative and literary arts, and the city has the largest public reference library in Europe in the form of the Mitchell Library

Mitchell Library

The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The library was established with a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco manufacturer, whose company, Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members...

. Scotland's largest newspapers and national television and radio companies are based in the city.

Art in Glasgow

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections...

 has a famous collection of paintings including many old masters, Dutch,Italian, French Impressionists, etc. and the Scottish Colourists, and Glasgow Boys. The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery

The University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery is the oldest public museum in Scotland. It is located in various buildings on the main campus of the University in the west end of Glasgow.-History:...

, of the University of Glasgow, has what is considered to be the best collection of Whistler

James McNeill Whistler

James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...

 paintings in the world. The Burrell Collection

Burrell Collection

The Burrell Collection is an art collection in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated in Pollok Country Park on the south side of the city.-History:...

 is an eclectic collection of art and antiquities donated to the city by Sir William Burrell and housed in an award-winning museum in the Pollok Country Park

Pollok Country Park

Pollok Country Park is a large country park located in Pollok, south Glasgow. Prior to the building of the M77 motorway it was the largest urban green space in Europe. In 2007 it was named the best park in Britain...

. The People's Palace

People's Palace

The People's Palace and Winter Gardens in Glasgow, Scotland is a museum and glasshouse situated in Glasgow Green, and was opened on 22 January, 1898 by the Earl of Rosebery....

 museum in Glasgow Green reflects the history of the city and its people, focussing on the working class

Working class

Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...

 of Glasgow. Glasgow School of Art designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh continues its pre-eminence in design and architecture, including its Digital Design Studio across the River Clyde in the House for an Art Lover, in Bellahouston Park. The Gallery of Modern Art is on Royal Exchange Square

Royal Exchange Square

Royal Exchange Square is a public square in the City of Glasgow in Scotland. The square is situated at the junction of Queen Street with Ingram Street...

, just off George Square

George Square

George Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after King George III.-Historical development:George Square was laid out in 1781, part of the innovative Georgian central grid plan that initially spanned from Stockwell Street east to Buchanan Street—which...

.

Glasgow's museums

Glasgow's museums and galleries include:

• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
  Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
  The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections...
  
   (Recently re-opened)
• The Burrell Collection
  Burrell Collection
  The Burrell Collection is an art collection in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated in Pollok Country Park on the south side of the city.-History:...
  
  
• Collins Gallery
• Fossil Grove
  Fossil Grove
  The Fossil Grove is located within Victoria Park, Glasgow, Scotland. It was discovered in 1887 and contains the fossilised stumps of eleven extinct Lepidodendron trees, which are sometimes described as "giant club mosses" but they may be more closely related to quillworts...
  
  
• The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)
• Glenlee
  Glenlee (ship)
  Glenlee is a three-masted baldheaded steel-hulled barque, launched fully rigged and seaworthy on December 3, 1896. She is now a museum ship at the Riverside Museum on Pointhouse Quay, Glasgow, known as The Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour....
  
  , a museum ship
  Museum ship
  A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
  
  
• Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery
  Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery
  The University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery is the oldest public museum in Scotland. It is located in various buildings on the main campus of the University in the west end of Glasgow.-History:...
  
  
• The Lighthouse
  The Lighthouse (Glasgow)
  The Lighthouse in Glasgow, is Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City. It was opened as part of Glasgow's status as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999....
  
  , Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City
• McLellan Galleries
  McLellan Galleries
  The McLellan Galleries are an exhibition space in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Built in 1856, the Galleries are named after their founder, Archibald McLellan , a coach builder, councillor and patron of the arts...
  
  
• Museum of Transport
  Glasgow Museum of Transport
  The Glasgow Museum of Transport in Glasgow, Scotland was established in 1964 and initially located at a former tram depot in Pollokshields. From 1987 the museum was relocated to the city's Kelvin Hall...
  
  
• The People's Palace
  People's Palace
  The People's Palace and Winter Gardens in Glasgow, Scotland is a museum and glasshouse situated in Glasgow Green, and was opened on 22 January, 1898 by the Earl of Rosebery....
  
  
• Pollok House
  Pollok House
  Pollok House is the ancestral home of the Maxwell family, located in Pollok Country Park, Glasgow, Scotland.The house - built in 1752 and designed by William Adam - was gifted to the City of Glasgow in 1966 by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, whose family had owned the estate for almost 700 years...
  
  
• Provand's Lordship
  Provand's Lordship
  The Provand's Lordship located in Glasgow, Scotland, today stands as a medieval-period historic house museum located at the top of Castle Street in the shadow of the Glasgow Cathedral and Glasgow Royal Infirmary....
  
  
• St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
  St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
  The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is a museum of religion in Glasgow, Scotland. It is quoted as being the only public museum in the world devoted solely to this subject, though another notable museum of this kind is the State Historical Museum of Religion in St.Petersburg...
  
  
• Scottish Football Museum
  Scottish Football Museum
  The Scottish Football Museum is the Scottish Football Association's National Museum of football, located in Hampden Park in Glasgow.-The Museum:...
  
  
• Scotland Street School Museum
  Scotland Street School Museum
  Scotland Street School Museum is a museum of school education in Glasgow, Scotland, in the district of Tradeston. It is located in a former school built by Charles Rennie Mackintosh between 1903 and 1906. The building is one of Glasgow's foremost architectural attractions...
  
  
• National Museum of Scottish Country Life
• National Museum of Piping

Libraries

• Glasgow University Library
  Glasgow University Library
  The University of Glasgow Library is one of the oldest and largest University libraries in Europe. It holds more than 2.5 million books and journals, as well as providing access to an extensive range of electronic resources including over 30,000 electronic journals.The current 12-storey building,...
  
  
• Glasgow Women's Library
  Glasgow Women's Library
  Glasgow Women's Library is a public library, registered company and charity based at 15 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Glasgow Women's Library is a provider of information by and about women.Its key aims are:...
  
  
• Mitchell Library
  Mitchell Library
  The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The library was established with a bequest from Stephen Mitchell, a wealthy tobacco manufacturer, whose company, Stephen Mitchell & Son, would become one of the constituent members...
  
  
• Stirling's Library

Entertainment

Scotland's leading cultural institutions, Scottish Opera

Scottish Opera

Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...

, Scottish Ballet

Scottish Ballet

Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the four leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet...

 and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,...

 are based here as is the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...

. The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...

 is one of Britain's longest established performing conservatoires, and its recently opened Alexander Gibson Opera School is the first purpose built opera school in Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. The National Piping Centre

National Piping Centre

The National Piping Centre is an institution in Glasgow, Scotland, dedicated to the playing of the bagpipes, to include not only the Great Highland Bagpipes, but also the Scottish smallpipes and Irish uileann pipes, as well as other traditional musical instruments.The institution includes practise...

 is an international teaching centre. The city also has a longstanding and lively popular music scene based around venues such as the SECC, the Carling Academy, Barrowlands

Barrowland Ballroom

The Barrowlands is a major dance hall and concert venue in Glasgow, Scotland.-History of Barrowland Ballroom:The original building opened in 1934 in a mercantile area east of Glasgow's city centre...

, Cosmopol and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar in on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts...

. Glasgow is the first city in Britain to be awarded the UNESCO City of Music accolade. Glasgow also hosts Orange Order and Apprentice Boys of Derry

Apprentice Boys of Derry

The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 80,000, founded in 1814. They are based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. However, there are Clubs and branches across Ireland, Great Britain and further afield...

 parades, during the spring and summer months.

Theatres

Glasgow has a number of theatres, including:

• Citizens Theatre
• Crawford Theatre
• Cottier Theatre (currently closed)
• Gilmorehill G12
• King's Theatre
  King's Theatre, Glasgow
  The King's Theatre is located in Glasgow, Scotland. It was built for Howard & Wyndham Ltd under its chairman Baillie Michael Simons as a sister theatre of their Theatre Royal in the city and was designed by Frank Matcham, opening in 1904. The theatre is primarily a receiving house for touring...
  
  
• Mitchell Theatre
• Oran Mor
• Pavilion Theatre
  Pavilion Theatre
  Pavilion Theatre may refer to:*Pavilion Theatre , Scotland*Pavilion Theatre , part of the Bournemouth International Centre complex*Pavilion Theatre , southern England...
  
  
• Ramshorn Theatre
  Ramshorn Theatre
  The Ramshorn Theatre is located in Ingram Street in the Merchant City area of Glasgow. It is one of Glasgow's most beautiful landmarks.Owned by the University of Strathclyde, the venue opened as a theatre on 10 April 1992. The theatre was formally named by the playwright Liz Lochhead...
  
  
• RSAMD
• Tramway
  Tramway (arts centre)
  Tramway is a contemporary visual and performing arts venue located in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Based in a former tram depot in the Pollokshields area of the South Side, it consists of two performance spaces and two galleries, as well as The Hidden Garden and offering facilities for community...
  
  , home of Scottish Ballet
  Scottish Ballet
  Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the four leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet...
  
  
• Tron Theatre
  Tron Theatre
  The Tron Theatre is located at the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland.From its early years as a theatre club, the Tron has grown into a thriving multi-faceted venue...
  
  
• Theatre Royal
  Theatre Royal, Glasgow
  The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow, located at 282 Hope Street in Cowcaddens. The theatre originally opened in 1867, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869, and is the longest running theatre in Scotland...
  
  , home of Scottish Opera
  Scottish Opera
  Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...
  
  
• National Theatre of Scotland
  National Theatre of Scotland
  The National Theatre of Scotland is a theatre company established in February 2006. The company performs in a wide range of venues including theatres, halls and found spaces across Scotland....
  
  

Concert Halls

• Glasgow City Halls, home of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...
  
  
• The Fruitmarket
• Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
  Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
  Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is an arts venue, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow’s City Halls and Old Fruitmarket venue...
  
  
• Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
  Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
  The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre , located on the north bank of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, is Scotland's largest exhibition centre....
  
  
• Clyde Auditorium
  Clyde Auditorium
  The Clyde Auditorium, familiarly known as "The Armadillo", is an iconic concert venue in Glasgow, Scotland. The building sits on the site of the now infilled Queen's Dock on the River Clyde, adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre....
  
   which also stages theatre shows
• Henry Wood Hall, home of Royal Scottish National Orchestra
  Royal Scottish National Orchestra
  The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,...
  
  

Performing arts

• The Arches (Glasgow)
  The Arches (Glasgow)
  The Arches is a bar, arts venue, theatre, live music venue and nightclub in Glasgow, Scotland, which first opened in 1991. It is a not-for-profit organisation...
  
  
• Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA)
• City of Glasgow Chorus
  City of Glasgow Chorus
  The City of Glasgow Chorus was founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1983 by Graham Taylor, who is still its Director of Music. Since then, it has established its position as the biggest independent choral group in the west of Scotland and a significant player in Scotland’s arts environment...
  
  
• The National Piping Centre

Parks

Amongst the city's parks are:

• Bellahouston Park
• Glasgow Green
  Glasgow Green
  Glasgow Green is a park situated in the east end of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde. It is the oldest park in the city dating back to the 15th century.In 1450, King James II granted the land to Bishop William Turnbull and the people of Glasgow...
  
  
• Kelvingrove Park
  Kelvingrove Park
  Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the world-famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.-History:...
  
  
• Victoria Park
• Maxwell Park
• Pollok Country Park
  Pollok Country Park
  Pollok Country Park is a large country park located in Pollok, south Glasgow. Prior to the building of the M77 motorway it was the largest urban green space in Europe. In 2007 it was named the best park in Britain...
  
  
• Queen's Park
  Queen's Park, Glasgow
  Situated on the south side of the city of Glasgow, in Scotland, Queen's Park lies approximately two miles from the city centre, and can refer both to the park itself, the adjacent residential district, or the football team Queen's Park F.C.The park was developed in the late 19th century in...
  
  
• Rouken Glen
• Glasgow Botanic Gardens
  Glasgow Botanic Gardens
  Glasgow Botanic Gardens is an Arboretum and public park located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. It features several glasshouses, the most notable of which is the Kibble Palace. The gardens were created in 1817, and run by the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow , and were intended to supply...
  
  
• Alexandra Park
  Alexandra Park, Glasgow
  Alexandra Park is a public park in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located in Dennistoun, three miles east of the city centre. To the north is the M8 motorway. Named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, it opened in 1870...
  
  
• Linn Park
• Springburn Park

Festivals

As part of Glasgow's cultural renaissance, Glasgow is host to a variety of festivals throughout the year:-

• Celtic Connections
  Celtic Connections
  The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international...
  
   - January
• Glasgow Film Festival
  Glasgow Film Festival
  Glasgow Film Festival is an annual film festival based in Glasgow, Scotland, started in 2005.-2010:2010's festival took place between 18-28th February. The opening gala featured Jean-Pierre Jeunet's latest film, Micmacs with the director there to present the film. Other guests included Peter...
  
   - February
• Glasgow International Comedy Festival
  Glasgow International Comedy Festival
  Glasgow International Comedy Festival is a comedy festival in Glasgow, Scotland.The comedy festival started in 2002 and is held annually in March....
  
   - March
• Glasgow International Festival (Visual Arts) - April
• Glasgow Art Fair - April
• Charles Rennie Mackintosh Festival
• Big Big Country - May (last held in 2006)
• West End Festival
  West End Festival
  The West End Festival is an annual festival in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The West End Festival in Glasgow was started in 1996 by Michael Dale as a small local festival centred on Byres Road....
  
   - June
• Lord Provost's Procession (discontinued)
• Glasgow International Jazz Festival
  Glasgow International Jazz Festival
  Glasgow International Jazz Festival is a jazz festival in Glasgow, Scotland.-Main Festival:One of the biggest jazz festivals in Europe, the Glasgow International Jazz Festival is held annually in June in the Merchant City area of Glasgow...
  
   - June
• North Glasgow International Festival (last held in 2005)
• Bard in the Botanics - July
• Glasgow's River Festival - July
• Glasgow Mela - June
• Piping Live! - August
• World Pipe Band Championships
  World Pipe Band Championships
  The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association was formed...
  
   - August
• Merchant City Festival
  Merchant City Festival
  The Merchant City Festival is a major cultural festival taking place in Glasgow's Merchant City area.Attracting more than 55,000 people, the four-day Festival presents the cream of Scotland’s theatre, music, visual arts, comedy, dance, film, fashion and food scene.The Festival presents opera...
  
   - September
• Glasgay! - November
• Glasgow's Hogmanay - December
• Glasgow Orange Parades

Exhibitions

The city was host to the three Great Exhibitions at Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the world-famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.-History:...

, in 1888 (International Exhibition (1888)), 1901 (Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)

Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)

The Glasgow International Exhibition was the second of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Summary:...

) and 1911 (Scottish Exhibition, Art and Industry). It later hosted the Empire Exhibition

Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938

Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938 was an international exposition held at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, from May to December 1938....

 in 1938 and the Industrial exhibits of the Festival of Britain

Festival of Britain

The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...

 at the Kelvin Hall

Kelvin Hall

The Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall, indoor arena and barrage balloon factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of...

 in 1951. More recently it held the Glasgow Garden Festival

Glasgow Garden Festival

The Glasgow Garden Festival was the third of the United Kingdom's five National Garden Festivals, and the only one to take place in Scotland.It was held in Glasgow between 26 April and 26 September 1988...

 in 1988 and was European Capital of Culture

European Capital of Culture

The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....

 in 1990, National City of Sport 1995-1999, UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 City of Architecture and Design 1999 and European Capital of Sport

Sport policies of the European Union

The European Union plays a minor and mostly indirect policy role in sport, because sport is normally considered to be outside the competences conferred by the member states to the European Union and sport is in general organised internally, on a European continental level , or globally.- Direct...

 2003. The city will also host the 2014 Commonwealth Games

2014 Commonwealth Games

The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run over 11 days of competition from 24 July to 3 August 2014...

.

Contemporary music

Glasgow has many live music pubs, clubs and venues. Some of the city's main venues include the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is an arts venue, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow’s City Halls and Old Fruitmarket venue...

, the SECC

Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre , located on the north bank of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, is Scotland's largest exhibition centre....

 and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar in on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts...

 (where Oasis

Oasis (band)

Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...

 were spotted and signed by Glaswegian record mogul Alan McGee

Alan McGee

Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...

), the Queen Margaret Union

Queen Margaret Union

The Queen Margaret Union is one of two students' unions at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1890, it caters for the social and cultural needs of its members by providing a range of services including, entertainments, catering, shop facilities, bars and games.-History:The Queen...

 and the Barrowland

Barrowland Ballroom

The Barrowlands is a major dance hall and concert venue in Glasgow, Scotland.-History of Barrowland Ballroom:The original building opened in 1934 in a mercantile area east of Glasgow's city centre...

, a historic ballroom, converted into a live music venue. More recent mid-sized venues include ABC

ABC Glasgow

The O2 ABC is a nightclub and music venue on Sauchiehall Street, in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The building was constructed in 1875 but was largely rebuilt in the 1920s. It had been put to a number of uses before being converted for its current purpose between 2002 and 2005. In...

 and the Carling Academy

Carling Academy Glasgow

The O2 Academy Glasgow is a music venue on Eglinton Street in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. It holds 2,500 people....

, which play host to a similar range of acts. Numerous small venues, cafes and bars play host to the many smaller local and touring bands which regularly play in the city.

Glasgow is also home to a thriving electronic music scene, with a particularly strong reputation for techno and house music. Venues like the Arches

The Arches (Glasgow)

The Arches is a bar, arts venue, theatre, live music venue and nightclub in Glasgow, Scotland, which first opened in 1991. It is a not-for-profit organisation...

 and the Sub Club

Sub club

The Sub Club is a club and music venue located at 22 Jamaica Street in Glasgow, Scotland. It opened 1 April 1987 and is the longest running underground dance club in the world. The basement space can legally hold up to 400 people. In 2008 it was voted the 10th best club in the world by Resident...

, record labels such as Soma and Chemikal Underground

Chemikal Underground

Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 by Glasgow, Scotland rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties....

 and clubnights such as Optimo

Optimo

Optimo was a weekly Sunday-night club based in Glasgow, Scotland at the Sub Club on Jamaica Street, as well as a collective moniker for the night's resident DJ duo. Having run every week since it was founded in 1997, on Thursday 11 March 2010, it was announced on the official facebook page that...

 have supported this strong underground movement for the past two decades in the city.

The city also boasts a flourishing experimental music scene, and plays home to such luminaries as Alex Neilson

Alex Neilson

Alex Neilson is an English drummer, percussionist and singer who is currently based in Glasgow but grew up in Leeds. He has performed alongside a large number of bands and artists including Lucky Luke, The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden, Ashtray Navigations, Alastair Galbraith, Isobel Campbell,...

 and Richard Youngs

Richard Youngs

Richard Youngs is a British musician with a prolific and diverse output, including many collaborations. Based in Glasgow since the early 1990s, his extensive back catalogue of solo and collaborative work formally begins with Advent, first issued in 1990...

. Glasgow hosts the longrunning Install and Subcurrent annual festivals, which have featured underground luminaries such as Gustav Metzger

Gustav Metzger

Gustav Metzger is an artist and political activist who developed the concept of Auto-Destructive Art and the Art Strike. Together with John Sharkey, he initiated the Destruction in Art Symposium in 1966...

 and Tony Conrad

Tony Conrad

Tony Conrad is an American avant-garde video artist, experimental filmmaker, musician/composer, sound artist, teacher and writer...

, as well as reclusive American musician Jandek

Jandek

Jandek is the musical project of an anonymous outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released over 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical...

's first ever live performance.

In recent years, the success of bands such as Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand (band)

Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...

, Belle & Sebastian

Belle & Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...

 and Mogwai

Mogwai

The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...

 has significantly boosted the profile of the Glasgow music scene, prompting Time Magazine to liken Glasgow to Detroit during its 1960s Motown heyday.

The annual Triptych festival musical festival has featured performances from such epochal figures as Stockhausen, Terry Riley

Terry Riley

Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...

 and Einstürzende Neubauten

Einstürzende Neubauten

Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...

.