Welcome to Glasgow

Glasgow is a cultural power-house of music, creative arts, and theatre

Once renowned as a major industrial city, Glasgow has undergone considerable change in recent years. 21st century Glasgow is now an acknowledged centre of art, music, and culture, with splendid museums, art galleries, concert halls, theatres, and parks. Famed for its great Victorian architectural heritage, Glasgow is particularly proud of its most innovative and celebrated architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of the city’s most famous sons.

The city provides a gateway to the magnificent scenery of the West Highlands; a breathtaking landscape which, over the centuries, continues to inspire many of the world’s greatest composers, from Mendelssohn to Maxwell Davies, and onwards.

Lively, edgy, and vibrant, Glasgow has been named 1990 European City of Culture, 1999 City of Architecture and Design, and 2008 UNESCO City of Music, celebrating and acknowledging its rich musical life.

Glasgow’s legendary music scene stretches across the whole spectrum from contemporary and classical to Celtic and country. Its venues are equally varied and include King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut (consistently voted the top live music venue in the UK), the Barrowlands, 02 Academy, the OVO Hydro, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and many pubs and clubs throughout the city.

Glasgow is home to four of the five National Companies (including Scottish Opera and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra), alongside other national organisations, including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scotland, National Youth Companies, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the Scottish Ensemble. The city hosts an average of 130 music events each week (more than any other Scottish city), and it is estimated that music businesses generate some £75 million a year for Glasgow’s economy. Glasgow has the highest density of HE institutions offering courses in music, and the largest population of music students in Scotland. Five of the biggest Scottish employers in the music industry are based in Glasgow, and the city employs over half the country’s entire music workforce.

In 2022, Glasgow was ranked the world’s friendliest city and 4th best city in the world by Time Out. You are sure to make lots of friends here!