Merchant City Festival Celebrates its Biggest Ever Edition of the Event

More than 113,000 people enjoyed the Merchant City Festival’s bumper programme as part of the Glasgow 2026 Festival.

The Merchant City Festival is celebrating its biggest ever edition of the event, with more than 113,000 people enjoying this year’s programme.

As part of Glasgow 2026 Festival, Merchant City Festival expanded and transformed the heart of Glasgow into a vibrant hub of creativity for two weekends instead of one.

Its bumper programme of free live music, family activities, street theatre and markets took over the city’s streets, with the festival featuring in more venues than ever before.

Programming took place at the Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs Square, Merchant Square and The Briggait between 24 and 26 July, and 31 July and 2 August. Between 27 and 30 July, Candleriggs Square was also home to free Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games live screenings, giving people the chance to soak up the sporting action while enjoying a great atmosphere in the city centre. In total, a record breaking 113,609 people took part in this year’s two Merchant City Festival weekends and mid-week live screenings.

More than 450 acts and performers were also involved in delivering the largely free entertainment and creating the festival atmosphere across the two weeks. This year’s festival was delivered as part of the Glasgow 2026 Festival, a ten-week celebration of Glasgow’s world-renowned culture, creativity and communities.

Running from 23 May to 9 August 2026, the city-wide programme includes hundreds of events, performances, artworks and participation opportunities inspired by the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Chris Ansell, Director of Live Programmes and Engagement, Glasgow 2026 said: “The response to this year’s Merchant City Festival has been outstanding. The energy and buzz it brought to Glasgow’s city centre has been clear to see, and it’s been wonderful to watch people of all ages enjoying the programme in such large numbers.

“We're pleased to have delivered a programme that brought so many people together and showcased the creativity, talent and warm welcome that Glasgow is known for."

Billy Garrett, Director of Culture, Tourism & Events at Glasgow Life said: “It was fantastic to see the Merchant City Festival play a key part in the Glasgow 2026 Festival programming as one of the flagship events, expanded to its biggest year yet and held in the heart of the Games footprint.

“More than 113,000 people enjoyed everything from free live music and street theatre to family ceilidhs, circus performances and food markets, experiencing the vibrancy of the Merchant City Festival alongside the sport competition, creating a seamless blend of sport and culture.”

To find out more about the Glasgow 2026 Festival, visit glasgow2026festival.com