What's On in Glasgow This Weekend

Glasgow 2026: Boxing — The SEC Centre crackles with raw energy as Commonwealth Games boxing takes centre stage across three sessions — morning, afternoon, and a prime-time evening bout from 7:00pm that promises to be the most atmospheric of the lot. There is nothing quite like watching elite fighters from across the Commonwealth go head-to-head in a packed arena, the crowd roaring with every combination. Check the website for tickets and session details — this is unmissable Games action.

OMD — Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark take to the open air at the breathtaking Kelvingrove Bandstand at 6:30pm, and if that is not a perfect summer Friday evening then nothing is. Synth-pop legends responsible for Enola Gay and Electricity, OMD have lost none of their power or their knack for a chorus that lodges itself somewhere deep in your chest. Check the website for tickets, and bring a jacket — the atmosphere will keep you warm regardless.

Lost Map Summer Party - Hot Chip (DJ), Pictish Trail, The Bug Club — Galvanizers Yard at SWG3 hosts one of the most exciting bills of the summer, with Hot Chip throwing down a DJ set alongside beloved Scottish indie troubadour Pictish Trail and the wonderfully idiosyncratic Bug Club from 6:00pm. Lost Map Records parties are the stuff of legend — expect something genuinely joyful, a little weird, and absolutely worth every second. Check the website for tickets before this one sells out entirely.

Big Fun Presents BookBug — Queens Park Arena becomes a haven for little ones at 11:45am as the beloved BookBug programme gets the Big Fun treatment — think stories, songs, and the kind of shared magic that reminds you why reading aloud matters. Tickets start from nothing and top out at £8, making this an utterly accessible Friday morning adventure for families with young children. Pair it with a soft play session next door and you have got yourself a genuinely lovely afternoon sorted.

Commonwealth Games The Official Bollywood Party — Manuka throws open its doors at 10:00pm for the official Bollywood party of the Commonwealth Games — a glorious, high-energy celebration that feels entirely in the spirit of a Games gathering nations together. Expect pulsing Bollywood beats, a floor packed with people who are absolutely here to have the time of their lives, and an atmosphere unlike anything else happening in the city tonight. Tickets are £10, which for a night this celebratory feels like an absolute steal.

Trad Friday Sessions @ Blackfriars — As the afternoon settles into early evening, Blackfriars of Bell Street on Merchant City's doorstep is the place to be for a free-spirited session of traditional Scottish music from 4:00pm. These sessions are the real deal — informal, convivial, and rooted in a living musical tradition that Glasgow does better than almost anywhere. Check the website for details, wander in, order something from the bar, and let the fiddles and flutes do the rest.

Glasgow 2026: Netball - Semi-Final 1 — The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games reaches a fever pitch this morning as the netball semi-finals get underway at the OVO Hydro from 9:00am — and this first showdown promises to be a heart-in-mouth occasion. The Hydro is one of Europe's finest indoor arenas and it will be absolutely roaring with supporters from across the competing nations. Check the website for tickets and availability, because a seat at a Games semi-final is the kind of sporting memory that stays with you.

Glasgow 2026: Boxing — Two sessions of elite amateur boxing take place at the SEC Centre today — the first at 11:00am and the second at 4:30pm — and both promise the raw, electric tension that makes boxing such an unmissable live sport. The compact SEC arena brings you right up close to the action, making every jab and combination feel visceral and immediate. Check the website for tickets, and consider catching both sessions if you want the full dramatic arc of the day's bouts.

In Conversation with Barbara Dickson — One of Scotland's most beloved voices comes to the intimate surroundings of Oran Mor at 3:00pm for what promises to be a genuinely warm and revealing afternoon. Barbara Dickson has lived a remarkable life in music and theatre, and this conversation format lets her tell it in her own words, with all the wit and warmth she's known for. Check the website for tickets — this is the kind of event that sells itself quietly and then sells out completely.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor — The bandstand at Kelvingrove Park is one of Glasgow's most magical open-air venues, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor playing there at 6:30pm on a summer Saturday feels like the stuff of dreams. After her extraordinary cultural moment in recent years she has never felt more beloved, and her catalogue of floor-filling, life-affirming pop is perfect for a warm August evening under the trees. Check the website for tickets — and bring something to stand on, because you will absolutely be dancing.

Capercaillie, Rura & Fara — For something rooted in the very soul of Scotland, head to the Galvanizers Yard at SWG3 at 6:00pm where Celtic legends Capercaillie join acclaimed younger acts Rura and Fara for what should be an extraordinary evening of folk music. This is a rare chance to see three generations of Scottish traditional music sharing one stage, in one of Glasgow's most atmospheric outdoor spaces. Check the website for tickets, and come ready to be genuinely moved.

Thunder Rave - HARDCORE TO DA BONE 2 — If you want your Saturday afternoon to go somewhere entirely unexpected, the Classic Grand Lounge opens its doors at 2:00pm for a full-throttle hardcore rave that wastes absolutely no time getting to the point. This is pure, uncut dancefloor energy — the kind of event that has devoted regulars travelling across the country for it. Tickets are £25–£62, the Classic Grand is a brilliantly grungy venue, and if you leave without at least one ringing ear you weren't paying attention.

Glasgow 2026: Netball - GOLD Medal Game — This is the moment the whole tournament has been building to — the netball Gold Medal Game at the OVO Hydro, kicking off at 1:00pm. Expect the arena to be an absolute cauldron of noise, colour, and last-quarter drama as two nations battle it out for the top spot on the podium. Check the website for ticket availability, because this one will sell fast and the atmosphere inside that building will be something people talk about for years.

Calvin Harris — When Calvin Harris plays Hampden, you do not need to explain it — you just go. Doors open at 5:00pm and the Scotland-born superstar is expected to run through a catalogue of floor-fillers that spans nearly two decades of electronic pop dominance, all under the open Glasgow sky. Check the website for tickets and get there early, because a summer evening at Hampden with a crowd this size is a genuinely once-in-a-generation occasion.

Glasgow 2026: Judo — If you have never watched live judo, the afternoon session at the SEC Centre starting at 3:00pm is your sign to change that. The sport is explosive, tactical, and over in a breathtaking handful of seconds — one moment of perfect timing and the crowd erupts. With Commonwealth medals on the line, the tension in the hall will be electric, and the SEC is an ideal venue to get right up close to the action.

The Soul Table — Tucked away at The Noble Public House Glasgow from 2:00pm, The Soul Table is exactly what a Sunday afternoon should feel like — warm, unhurried, and full of music that gets right into your chest. At £15 it sits in that sweet spot where it feels like a treat without breaking the bank, and the intimate pub setting means you are never more than a few feet from the groove. Think of it as the antidote to anything loud and frantic happening elsewhere in the city today.

DECADES - Beatles & Beyond with Itchycoo Park — The Ferry on the Clyde at 3:30pm is the setting for this celebration of the music that shaped the 1960s and beyond, with Itchycoo Park bringing the era vividly back to life. Tickets range from just £5 to £20, making it one of the most accessible shows of the day, and the riverside location adds a breezy, unhurried charm that suits the material perfectly. Whether you are a lifelong Beatles devotee or simply in the mood for an afternoon of timeless songwriting played with real affection, this one delivers.

The Paris Match | Supersun | Sisters | The Violets — McChuills has already hosted a Dylan tribute earlier in the day, but it saves its best bill for the evening — four acts sharing the stage from 7:30pm for just £12. The Paris Match alone are worth the price of admission, their sophisticated blend of jazz-flecked pop and velvet vocals perfectly suited to a late Sunday night in a room that knows its music. With Supersun, Sisters, and The Violets also on the bill, this is the kind of packed, genre-spanning lineup that Glasgow indie venues do better than almost anywhere.