12 Genuinely Fab Things To Do In Glasgow This June
With the sun coming and plenty of events arriving in the city, June is going to be pretty special!
This summer, we’re all raring to go and luckily there are plenty of fantastic things on the horizon this June to start the season with a bang. Fancy getting your calendar jam-packed again? From candlelight concerts to tasty food and drink offerings, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to getting your dose of good grub and culture. Check out our guide to some of the best things to do this June in Glasgow.
1. Chill out at these summer-themed gardens featuring an Aperol terrace
Here to brighten up our summer and take us to a chilled paradise without having to hop on a plane is one of the Glasgow’s biggest beer gardens. From June 2, Cranside Kitchen will be reimagined like never before, with three new spaces and the ultimate summertime glow-up transforming the venue into the place to be this season. The massive Summer Gardens will feature palm trees, garden picnic tables and benches, and a beach hut Tiki style bar, as well as a giant ‘Aperol Tuscan Tree’ to soak up the sun under.
2. Visit this impressive Sistine Chapel exhibition coming to Glasgow
Following much success around the UK and internationally, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition will be coming to Glasgow this June. Boasting 34 replicas of the famous Sistine Chapel frescoes from the Vatican in Rome, this exhibition offers a new way to see the magnificent works: up-close like never before. Glaswegians can get a taste of the Eternal City on their doorstep, as licensed high-definition photos and a special printing technique are employed to reproduce the look and feel of Michelangelo’s original works. Grab tickets here.
3. Listen to some of the best electronic music by the Clyde at Glasgow’s Riverside Festival
The annual Riverside Festival will be returning to Glasgow over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend this June. Scotland’s premier electronic music festival returns to the grounds of the Riverside Museum on the banks of the Clyde, bringing together a combination of some of the biggest and most cutting edge electronic artists and DJs to this unique and iconic location. You can expect the likes of Charlotte de Witte, Slam, Carl Cox, Overmono, Róisín Murphy, Job Jobse, Shoot Your Shot and TAAHLIAH performing live on stage between June 2- 4.
4. Set sail for a night of unforgettable jazz music at this floating candlelight concert
Ready to drift away from all your worries? Well, hang tight as Fever have the solution with these ferry impressive jazz candlelight concerts coming to Glasgow this summer. The Glenlee will be transformed to create a unique jazz club vibe; complete with moody lighting to give it that cosy, intimate atmosphere. There will be some truly magical jazz performances at these candlelight concerts, where you’ll hear the greatest jazz classics streaming merrily from the bow to the stern and beyond. This unbelievable night on Glasgow’s riverside will take place for one night only this spring, with the next available date on June 16– and you can find your tickets here!
5. Head to the Dandelion Festival at Kelvingrove Park for a weekend of music and nature
Taking place over three days, from June 17, the Dandelion Festival will take root at the heart of Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park. The venue will be transformed with live music, interactive walkabout theatre, science and creative activities for all the family as part of a unique festival that dares to reimagine our relationship with food and the planet. At the festival, a spectacular Pavilion installation will form a ‘living’ stage-set, made from 60 ‘Cubes of Perpetual Light’ brought together, designed to foster accelerated growing. Artists including Rura, This is the Kit, Admiral Fallow, Newton Faulkner, Hen Hoose, Niteworks, Darlingside and Les Amazones d’Afrique are among the line-up for the free event Glasgow in June. Plus, the Dandelion Festival in Glasgow will host a Free for All on June 19 which encourages people to get growing. Find out more here.
6. Witness colourful works of art come to life right before your eyes at Yardworks Festival
Yardworks has grown to become one of Europe’s biggest and best festivals dedicated to street art and graffiti. Across two days (June 18 & 19), the concrete playground that is SWG3 Galvanizers Yard becomes a mess of colour, creativity and collaboration as urban artists from across Glasgow, the UK and Europe come together to paint, draw, inspire, educate, or just hang out and eat fancy chips. For local artists, Yardworks Festival is a chance to learn from the best, meet their heroes, and get inspired by what people are doing elsewhere. For the audience, it’s a weekend of witnessing murals being created live, from scratch, in front of you; having a shot yourself at various interactive workshops; occupying the weans with expertly-crafted art activities; or, just drinking it all in with a pint and street food in hand.
7. Grab yourself a pair of fresh crepes at this Glasgow trainer festival
Crepe City, Europe’s renowned trainer festival, will be coming to Glasgow for the first time ever this month. On June 26, there’ll be more than 100 trainer traders on site, with live DJs pumping music throughout the venue, providing an upbeat soundtrack to the day. You’ll be able to attend panels and partake in competitions, plus there’ll be a bar and satisfying street food to fuel you up as you scour the stalls for your next set of fresh crepes. Buy tickets to Crepe City here.
8. Tuck into incredible Indian street food at this brand new restaurant
Set to spice up Glasgow’s West End this summer is a new restaurant which aims to take Glaswegians on an exotic culinary adventure by serving up vibrant Indian and Bangladeshi menus. Opening this June, the restaurant and café bar, Rickshaw & Co, plans to bring a world of spice and Bengali café culture to the Glasgow area, meaning guests can stay for a cup of chai or cocktail, sample modern street food, or enjoy sharing comforting dishes or a savoury snack as part of the restaurant’s all-day menu.
9. Show your pride!
The annual Pride Glasgow march is back on June 25 and Pride is sure to hit the ground running this month after a quite a long hiatus. Pride Glasgow’s 2022 march starts at noon on Saturday 25th June at Greendyke Street, just outside Glasgow Green and after making its way through Glasgow City Centre, ends on the Broomielaw near the new Barclays Campus where there will be a small selection of stalls and activities. Talks, parties and brunches are just some of the Pride festivities running during June, celebrating all things LGBTQ+. As anyone who’s been to a Pride event will freely tell you, they’re literally too fun to be missed! Stay up to date here.
10. Escape to this Tunnock’s themed caravan in Lochgoilhead
There’s nothing quite like a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer with a brew. However, it now gets sweeter as you can now stay in a specially-designed caravan inspired by the teatime (or any time) treat. One of Scotland’s most popular caravan parks, Argyll Holidays, has introduced the Tunnock’s caravan wafer featuring the iconic gold, red and white branding. Unlike their biscuits, which state on the wrapper that 5,000,000 of these biscuits are made and sold each week, this caravan is one of a kind.
10. See how the city is making waves at Glasgow Science Festival
Glasgow Science Festival returns to the city this month and will feature 50+ events in venues across the city, with a programme filled to the brim with hands-on activities, films, talks, walks, and exhibitions. Taking place between June 2-12, you can enjoy a free side of science alongside your delicious dinner at The Big Feed, experience a pedal powered cinema at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, create botanical blueprint collages at Glasgow Botanic Gardens, or find out what’s beneath the waves and meet some Scottish sea creatures at the Riverside Museum, to name a few of the activities going on in the city. Plus, you can also join in online with ‘Science on the Sofa’, where there will be dozens of experiments, activities, talks and shows designed to entertain and inspire, all from the comfort of your own sofa.
11. Hear the songs of Chris Martin and co as you’ve never heard them before at this event bathed in candlelight
You may have thought you’d heard all the medleys/remixes/reworks of Coldplay’s biggest tunes in the last 25 years, but well, we’ve got something a little different! Candlelight: A Tribute To Coldplay will see many fan favourite anthems performed by a talented pianist and exquisite violinist under the glow of candlelight. Taking to the stage at centuries-old Trades Hall will be pianist Tim Abel and violinist Matthew Glossop, who will perform two 65-minute concerts on June 22. Expect to be transported through years of Coldplay’s back catalogue, and hear songs such as Fix You, Paradise, The Scientist, and many many more. Get tickets here.
12. Sip on a selection of boozy beverages at Shawlands Beer & Gin Festival
The Shawlands Beer and Gin Festival will be returning to the southside for the second time on June 25. Taking place at Pollok Park, festival goers can soak up the sun and enjoy a gin or beer in hand, making for a great day out. You can expect some of your favourite beer companies and distilleries introducing you to top notch beverages, helping you figure out your IPAs from your lager and, of course, suss out your favourite gin tipple of choice.