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.

It has since become the biggest festival in Glasgow's calendar [http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Leisure_Culture/ArtsDevelopment/festivalsandevents.htm] with events running for 16 days in June. It has been used as a model for other festival start-ups, as with minimal local authority or Scottish Arts Council funding, and has grown with each festival. Its centrepiece carnival parade is the largest carnival event in the UK after Notting Hill in London. In 2006 the parade day ran congruently with the Glasgow Mela; organisers billed it as "Scotland's Mardi Gras" and an estimated 100,000 people took to the streets and parks. [http://www.westendfestival.co.uk/] .

Main Events

During the festival a wide range of activities and events take place. Prominent is a programme of live music, outdoor theatre, comedy, drama, guided walks, talks, film, children's events, various local street celebrations and markets, and a well-known Carnival Parade and Street Party on the opening Sunday. It has also hosted a series of events such as The Longest Day (1998/99), The Ideal Hut Show (in conjunction with Glasgow's Year of Architecture) and in 2004 a free outdoor concert led by Belle & Sebastian in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens and in 2006 an outdoor production with a cast of sixty actors based on the life of Jesus.

Awards

The festival was placed in the top 30 festivals in Europe by The Independent newspaper alongside other Scottish festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival and T in the Park. The free 2004 Belle and Sebastian concert was voted in the top 20 gigs of all time by the Scotsman newspaper in 2007.

Main Venues

*University of Glasgow
*Hunterian Museum
*Gilmorehill G12
*Oran Mor
*Cottier Theatre
*Ashton Lane
*Glasgow Botanic Gardens
*Kibble Palace
*Kelvingrove Art Gallery
*Kelvingrove Park
*Glasgow Museum of Transport
*Hillhead Library
*Partick Library
*Wellington Church
*St Mary's Cathedral
*St. Luke's Orthodox Cathedral
*The Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour

ee also

*Culture in Glasgow
*Glasgow Festivals

External links

* [http://www.westendfestival.co.uk Official site]
* [http://www.inglasgow.com/inglaig/gallery.asp?categoryid=570 Photographs taken during the 2004/5/6 West End Festival Parades in Glasgow]
* [http://www.inglasgow.com/inglaig/gallery.asp?categoryid=622 Photographs taken during the 2007 West End Festival Street Parade in Glasgow]
* [http://www.byres-road.co.uk Byres Road : A Short Guide]