Glasgow named leading festivals and events destination in the world

Depute leader of the council and Glasgow Life chair David McDonald has hailed the warm welcome offered by Glaswegians after the city was named the leading festivals and events destination on the planet.

World Travel Awards bestowed the honour on the city at a ceremony in Oman, calling it a “true testament to Glasgow’s unrivalled commitment to raising the standards of its tourism offerings”.

Glasgow beat off competition from London, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Cape Town and previous double-winner Dubai to take the title.

It was lauded for its array of world-class sporting and cultural events over the last few years.

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Mr McDonald said: “This is a huge accolade for the city and something we can all really celebrate.

“Winning such a prestigious prize at the industry leading awards is a massive achievement for the city especially as it meant having to beat much larger cities cities like London, Moscow, Rio and Shanghai.

“Festivals and events have added new colour and vibrancy to our city but they have also brought in hundreds of millions of pounds to the wider city economy.

“Since the days of the Garden Festival in 1988, events and festivals have become a much-loved part of the city’s cultural landscape.”

He added: “Our global reputation as a safe and welcoming host city continues to grow and this award confirms what we as locals have always known, Glasgow is a city that loves to celebrate!

“I’m so proud of the work that is done by our amazing city events teams and by the warm welcome Glaswegians give to events in our city. This is a prize we can all take great pride in winning, so well done Glasgow!”

This title comes after the city was awarded the European award in June 2019.

Hosting events such as the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the inaugural European Championships in 2018 meant the city was also recently named one of the top five sporting cities in the world.

And there is more to come, with the first-ever UCI World Cycling Championships in 2023.

The city’s leading cultural event programme also played an integral role in the award win, with a focus on world-leading music festival Celtic Connections.

That event includes 18 days of music, ceilidhs, talks, screenings and more every year in venues across Glasgow. Around 2000 artists from 25 countries took part in 300 events for Celtic Connections 2019.

The festival, first held in 1994, explores new ideas and musical styles, like folk, jazz, techno and Americana, as well as showcasing the best of Celtic music.

Other annual cultural events include the Merchant City Festival, Piping Live!, Glasgow Film Festival, Aye Write!, Glasgow International Comedy Festival, the World Pipe Band Championships and the biennial Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art.

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Sion Rapson, World Travel Awards vice-president, said: “The list of finalists hasn’t ever been as strong, and all would have been extremely worthy winners, so for Glasgow to emerge on top is a stellar achievement and one which cements the city’s positioning on the world map.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s director of events, said Glasgow is a “hugely deserving winner”.

He added: “Since EventScotland’s inception in 2003, we have built a strong relationship with the city through our work with Glasgow Life, helping bid for and secure a number of events over the years.

“It is through this close working relationship that we can ensure Scotland maintains it enviable reputation as the perfect stage for events.”

Billy Garrett, director of sport and events at Glasgow Life, the council’s sporting and cultural arm, added: “This accolade is proof that we are globally renowned for hosting spectacular events which draw visitors from across the globe.

“However we are not a city to rest and applaud our own success – we will continue to work hard and build on our previous experience to ensure Glasgow maintains its global reputation for hosting world-class events and festivals.”