West End wackiness due in June

Stuck for entertainment in Glasgow during June 3 to 26? Hardly!!

The West End Festival turns its back on the recession by promising yet more acts and events than ever before at what has become one of Glasgow’s biggest – and most diverse extravaganzas – in recent years.

Take yourself into one of the cafes on Byers Road, order a latte and cupcake then download yourself a version of the Festival’s 2011 brochure www.westendfestival.co.uk

There you’ll be able to spend a happy hour or two highlighting the gigs which appeal to you most. And there’s gonna be quite a few considering there’s 600 to choose from!

Where to start? There’s the usual suspects such as the Mardi Gras Parade, the ever-popular Mela and the Comedy Festival. This year, the newly-refurbished Cottiers has also gone all-out to grab audiences with their Cottier Chamber Project which they’ve modestly titled Scotland’s largest chamber music festival.

Around 500 individuals in costumes will congregate at Kelvingrove Park on Sunday 5^th for the start of the Mardi Gras Parade. The Park will also play the backdrop to a host of live bands blasting out samba, blues, latin, folk, ska and pop. There’ll be rides for the kids, charity stalls for mum to browse through and a licensed bar for dad.

Due to its continuing popularity,  this year’s Mela will now take place over two days and feature dance, music and art “from Bhangra to Bollywood and everywhere in between” according to organisers. The programme is due to be launched soon.

Check out some of West End Festival’s attractions we’ll be along at:

Free

• Wildlife exhibition at Hunter Halls (5th)
• Workshop on getting creative with graffic novels (4, 11th)
• Maggies welcome event – get a tour of the award-winning info@vostokbooks.comfacility (Tuesdays)
• Health Walks in the Botanic Gardens (9, 16, 23^rd)
• Learn and Language In an Hour at Hillhead Library (8, 15, 22^nd)
• Stitch n Bitch (with a difference) learn to knit livers, hearts and lungs with scientists (7, 8^th)
• Kelvinside Allotments open day. Plant fayres, advice, home-baking (11^th
• Greece Market Fayre (18^th)
• Intro to Buddhism and Meditation at Vajrayana Buddhist Centre (21, 23^rd)
• Carnival Club. Learn to make costumes (23^rd)
• Nude Noir. Burlesque dancing and costumes in Ashton Lane (23^rd)
• Twinkle Magazine Pop-up-Fayre. Vintage clothing/jewellery (11^th)

Music

• Fiddle Workshop, Hillhead Library (18^th)
• Midsummer Choral Communion, Baptist Church (19^th)
• Jazz and Media Ale Festival at The Three Judges (5^th)
• Steph Baxter at Jinty McGintys for Irish folk (7, 21^st)
• Mother Funk – disco and funk at The Lansdowne (11^th)

Alcohol

• Whisky Tasting at the QMU bar (4^th)
• French/German wine tasting (4^th)
• Gin tasting is at Brel on (6, 14^th)
• Rum tasting at Brel (7, 20^th)
• Cocktail Masterclasses at The Butchershop Bar (9, 16, 23^rd)

Whatever your passion – music, art, dance, cookery – we guarantee there’ll be a workshop or demonstration in the West End between June 3^rd and 16^th. And it’ll be easy to locate. The only difficulty you’ll have will be in having to choose which events you can pack into your free time!

Tagged as: City tips, Family, Festivals, Glasgow