Ahead of the start of the Glasgow 2026 Festival this weekend, Turner Prize winner Jasleen Kaur has been announced as a major commission within the 10-week programme of hundreds of cultural, sporting and community events set to create experiences that will stay with people long after the Games.
Running from 23 May to 9 August, the Glasgow 2026 Festival programme has been revealed and features spectacular new artworks, major cultural events and opportunities to take part in sport, physical activity and community celebration across every corner of the city, marking the return of the Commonwealth Games this summer.
Artist Kaur – the 2024 Turner Prize winner – has been commissioned to create a major new work for the city, which is set to be revealed to the public on 18 June. Developed through Kaur’s ongoing research, the new work, entitled ‘Superstructure’, will see a trail of eight weather-vane like sculptures installed at key sites along the River Clyde, each connected to its history of trade, industry and empire. Each sculpture bears a word or phrase that turns in the wind, pointing across the city, simultaneously to its past and future.
The Festival programme includes some of Glasgow’s best-known cultural events, alongside new contemporary art and music commissions linked to the Games. Among them is Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Art,
WOMAD, Glasgow Mela, as well as pop-ups from Scottish Opera and Piping Live!
The popular Merchant City Festival will also be expanded to two weekends – running from 24-26 July and 31 July- 2 August – with additional mid-week sport viewing and free family activities at the Candleriggs Festival Village in celebration of the Commonwealth Games.
The festival will also feature hundreds of community-led activities and sports sessions taking place across the city, with many of them free to attend. A total of 161 artists, cultural organisations, sports clubs and community groups will be producing events and activities across every neighbourhood in Glasgow.
To mark the launch, Glasgow-based Creative Director and Choreographer Vince Virr has created a new film, Invitation to Gather. Appearing across the Glasgow 2026 website, social channels, screens across the city, the film features performers, artists and sports groups from across the Festival programme; a rallying call for people to come together and take part throughout the summer.
Groups featured in the film include Whacking Scotland performing in front of Glasgow’s iconic Finnieston Crane, BAMILEK, Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, Zenkai Judo Club and Barrowland Ballet’s Wolf Pack on Glasgow Green.
Other scenes include inclusive dance company Indepen-dance break dancing under the McLennan Arch, Melody and Luna, also known as Unicorn Dance Party, surprising shoppers on Buchanan Street, dancers on the Govan Partick Bridge and Aerial Edge performing hand-to-hand acrobalance in Govanhill.
Chris Ansell, Head of Public Engagement, Glasgow 2026, said: “This is all about creating an altogether brilliant experience for people who live in Glasgow, and those coming to visit for the Games. From Summerston to Shawlands, and Blairdardie to Baillieston, the Glasgow 2026 Festival has been created to place people, creativity and local communities at the heart of this summer’s celebrations. Over 10 weeks, the Festival is a living showcase of culture, sport and public participation, set to create memorable experiences that will stay with people long after the Games.
“The ambition of the festival is to use the city itself as the stage – transforming streets, parks, venues and neighbourhoods into places where people can come together to celebrate, take part and discover something unexpected. Whether you choose to explore the work of globally renowned artists like Jasleen Kaur or spend the day exploring a local community sports celebration, we want everyone who lives, works or passes through Glasgow this summer to experience the energy, joy and spirit of the Games.”
Developed and delivered by Glasgow Life in collaboration with Glasgow 2026, with thanks to funding from Commonwealth Sport, Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Creative Scotland, Visit Scotland and sportscotland, the Festival will be brought to life by Glasgow’s diverse communities, creative industries, social enterprises, sport clubs, cultural organisations, artists and musicians.
Martin Reynolds, Deputy CEO of Commonwealth Sport said: “The Glasgow 2026 Festival is going to bring a special energy to the city, with music, art and community celebrations happening right alongside some world-class sport. What makes the Commonwealth Games so special is the mix of people and cultures it brings together, and this Festival is a chance for everyone across Glasgow to feel part of it and create some unforgettable memories together.”
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader, Glasgow City Council said: “We’re buzzing for the Glasgow 2026 Festival to get underway and to bring on a huge summer of culture, sport and celebration like no other.
“World-famous artists like our very own Jasleen Kaur coming together with hundreds of community events, international music festivals, and, of course, the Commonwealth Games sums up what this city is about – people, diversity, excitement and fun.
“Over the next 10 weeks, this showcase of the very best of our great city will play out across every Glasgow neighbourhood – on our streets, in our parks and at our world-class venues. And I’m delighted that the City Council is helping make sure that Glaswegians and visitors alike will experience a once-in-a-generation summer.”
George Black CBE, Chair of Glasgow 2026 added: “The Festival programme captures the true community spirit of Glasgow. From our major annual events such as Merchant City Festival and Glasgow Mela through to celebrations at local clubs, schools and community venues; there really will be something for everyone right across Glasgow this summer.”
Featuring a packed programme of 10 sports and six Para sports, the Games have already seen hundreds of thousands of tickets snapped up following record demand, with the Festival extending the celebrations across the summer and creating more opportunities for Glaswegians and visitors to get involved.
To find out more about the Glasgow 2026 Festival, visit glasgow2026festival.com
