The Best Festivals & Fairs in Glasgow this Spring

It’s been some time since anyone went to Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket to buy fresh produce, but visitors between the 22th and 24th April this year might be able to pick up a still life of a fruit bowl instead. Returning for its second year, the Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair brings together a selection of original, contemporary and affordable art, including paintings, prints, sculpture and photography. Featuring artists from across Scotland and the UK (with household names exhibiting alongside up-and-coming talent) and with prices ranging from £50 to £10,000, visitors can have the pick of the bunch from seascapes, landscapes, still life, portraiture, poster art and more. (Photo: Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair)

Glasgow’s reputation as a hub of art and culture is long-standing and the city’s creative forces come together every alternate year for the Glasgow International Festival Of Visual Art. Now in its seventh year, the festival features over 200 Scottish and international artists showcasing contemporary visual art at various venues across the city – from small galleries to full-scale museums. As well as exhibitions, the festival programme also includes talks, tours and performances. Notable artistic names taking part for 2016 include Tamara Henderson, Cosima von Bonim, Stewart Home, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd and Serena Korda. (Photo: Stephen Friedman Gallery, London)

Unlikely as it sounds, it’s now possible to explore ‘The World Of Wine’ without leaving…Glasgow! This spring, Wine Unearthed will be running two of their popular wine-tasting courses at Glasgow’s Radisson Blu Hotel. Suitable for seasoned aficionados and absolute beginners alike, the day is spent tasting, learning and talking about all things wine. As you quaff your way through a respectable 15 different varieties (together with a 3 course lunch) you’ll learn about key characteristics of the world’s major grapes, as well as the importance of climate and winemaking techniques on the finished product. The result? You’ll never be daunted by a restaurant wine list again – or at least not until you see the prices. All bookings can be made through Wine Unearthed.(Photo: Wine Unearthed)

We’ve all heard the jokes about Scottish cuisine, but as the country’s food scene goes through something of a revolution, it is Scots themselves who are destined to have the last laugh. Nowhere is food taken more seriously right now than in Glasgow, with the city hosting its first ever city-wide restaurant festival in March. As a follow-on from festival programme, the start of April sees the arrival of Pop-Up Dining, which promises to taker diners on a culinary adventure with a different pop-up restaurant every day in a beautiful 1920’s style “Spiegeltent” (a large travelling tent) on Candleriggs Square. Running for two-and-a-half weeks, the event will also feature live music and entertainment. (Photo: Glasgow Restaurant Festival)

Few cities in the United Kingdom have such a strong identity as Glasgow. Its inhabitants are deeply proud of their heritage, which in turn fosters a close-knit bond between those who live there. Exemplifying this civic spirit is the annual West End Festival, a community cultural event that attracts residents and visitors alike in impressive numbers. Taking place in the west end of the city, it features over 100 Glasgow-based organisations, arts groups and local and international artists, with a diverse programme of live music, local history events, exhibitions, theatre and dance performances, talks, guided walks, workshops and film screenings – many of which are free of charge. (Photo: John Linton)

The much-parodied image of men in kilts throwing tree trunks is not an entire departure from reality, but there’s no doubting the feats of physical prowess displayed at traditional Highland games events across Scotland each year. One of the most anticipated and hotly contested takes place in the small Glaswegian village of Carmunnock, which hosts its 33rd Highland Games this May. Competitors over the years have included the likes of Geoff Capes and Hamish Davidson, and this year will see another impressive roster of challengers testing their strength in events such as Stone Putting, Pole Pushing and – fear not – caber tossing, too. (Photo: Alistair via Flickr)

With its charming covered courtyard, Glasgow’s Merchant Square is a fine setting for a bustling weekend fair – and one of the most popular runs all the way through the months of spring. Housed under the courtyard’s atmospheric twinkly lights, the Craft & Design Fair attracts sizeable crowds each weekend thanks to a diverse roster of stall-holders showcasing an assortment of hand-made products, from jewellery, candles, cards and cupcakes through to artwork, aromatherapy products, baby clothes and photography. Merchant Square is also one of the city’s most popular drinking and dining sports, with numerous bars and restaurants located within its buzzing confines. (Photo: Merchant Square Craft & Design Fair)

Music, spoken word, film and visual arts are just some of the creative categories celebrated at Glasgow’s annual Outskirts festival, considered one of the standout events on the city’s cultural calendar. The festival returns this April with an impressive line-up of artists, with aerial performance and family events thrown into the mix. This year Outskirts is also collaborating with Glasgow International 2016 to present a mixed programme of work from Mandy McIntosh, Mega Hammer (a pop-up event from a collection of artists including Marvin Gaye Chetwynd and Jedrzej Cichosz) and Bitter Rose – a nomadic installation that invites audiences to join them on a walk from Bridgeton to Easterhouse. (Photo: Outskirts Festival)