The Glasgow 2026 Festival, running from 23 May to 9 August, will celebrate sport, culture, and community alongside the Commonwealth Games, featuring hundreds of community-led events across the city. Following over 400 applications, the Glasgow 2026 Festival Fund was expanded from an initial £250,000 to £1.25 million thanks to backing from Glasgow 2026, Commonwealth Sport, the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, and sportscotland. The Fund supports 163 projects across all 23 Glasgow wards, providing grants of up to £10,000 to community groups, artists, cultural organisations, sports clubs, creatives, and social enterprises to deliver events inspired by the Games.
Projects funded through the Festival Fund align with the festival’s three themes—gathering, social justice, and celebration—aiming to increase participation in arts, culture, and sport while creating lasting community impact. The programme includes a wide range of activities such as trapeze performances, BMX skills sessions, basketball festivals, LGBTQIA+ athletics celebrations, theatre, dance, and music events, ensuring a diverse and inclusive citywide programme.
Festival organisers, including Glasgow Life in collaboration with Glasgow 2026, highlighted that the Fund will enable communities to experience the Games locally, creating a memorable summer of engagement. Officials from Commonwealth Sport, the Scottish Government, and Glasgow City Council emphasised the Fund’s role in connecting communities, fostering creativity, and showcasing the city’s culture. The response from local organisations demonstrates strong enthusiasm and commitment to co-creating events that celebrate Glasgow’s people and heritage.
In addition to the Festival Fund, Glasgow’s existing cultural calendar, including the Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Visual Art, Merchant City Festival, Glasgow Mela, and Piping Live!, will be enhanced. The Glasgow 2026 Festival will build anticipation for the Commonwealth Games, which run from 23 July to 2 August, featuring 10 sports and six Para sports with 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories. The Festival transforms Glasgow into a summer-long cultural showcase, with outdoor performances, community celebrations, arts, music, and installations, extending the excitement of the Games across the city.
