And here we find ourselves at the onset of Autumn. As the leaves change colour and the air begins to have a chill, one thing remains constant – and that’s the vibrancy of our West End. There are still tons of events to look forward to. Autumn? Bring it on…
By Tracy Mukherjee
Top for Kids Day’s Out
Movement Academy have been entertaining our kids in Whiteinch for over nine years. Educating our children in safe movement is at the heart of what they do, but there is always a huge amount of fun to boot. They are running an Urban Sports Day for families with the Riverside Museum this September. The purpose of the day is to give families the opportunity to try parkour, skateboarding, and cycling together – activities the whole family can be involved in. The team are hoping to also have a silent roller disco, accessible bikes and trikes plus some onsite DJs. With all this, the day has got a real festival vibe to it, plus it’s totally free. Get the date in your diary.
Urban Sports Day
Riverside Museum
Sunday 13th September 12-3pm
w:movementparkurbansportsday
Top For Interiors
John Amabile is one of the UKs top designers. He has a wealth of experience, having been designing our homes over the past four decades. But not all of us can have John on hand for design advice. So here is the next best thing. Why not book yourself a place at The John Amabile Design School? In September and October this 3-hour hands-on workshop will have you thinking like a designer. With ideas on honing your personal style and practical steps on how to make your budget work for you, your home makeover could be in place by Christmas.
The John Amabile Design School
Mar Hall, Bishopton
19th September and 10th October
wjohnamabiledesign.com/pages/design-school
Top for Theatre
Scottish Ballet bring you Emergence at the Theatre Royal. Emergence is a breathtaking fusion of classical ballet created to reflect the movement of insects. The dancers working in unison create swarming creatures, developing formations where individual dancers combine as one.
The ballet is based on swarm intelligence research and bee colony behaviour. Created by Crystal Pite and set to Owen Belton’s haunting music, the full company ‘transforms into a living, breathing super-organism’. It’s the first time the ballet has been performed in Scotland for 10 years. It showcases the full gambit of the Scottish Ballet – both its physicality and artistry.
Emergence, The Scottish Ballet
Theatre Royal
10th – 12th September
w atgtickets.com/shows/scottish-ballet-emergence/theatre-royal-glasgow
Top for Celebrating Books
One of the main reasons I love living here is the literary thread that runs through the West End. One of the highlights of my year is The Byres Road Book Festival which returns this September for its seventh outing. With a programme including author talks, panel discussions, children’s events and writing workshops, it promises to be a fantastic weekend for bookworms. Many events are free so there is no excuse not to head along.
Produced by Visit West End, an organisation that represents hundreds of businesses across the area, venues include Hillhead Library, Waterstones and Oxfam bookshops plus community venues across Byres Road.
This year’s festival celebrates Glasgow’s literary heritage and includes events with Nicola Sturgeon, John Niven and Andrea Gibb, to name but a few.
Crime writers Doug Johnstone and Callum McSorley will also be in conversation.
Staunchly at the heart of the weekend however, is community; workshops and interactive events to inspire and develop the love of reading in the young and old. Let’s continue to appreciate and support this fantastic celebration of the written word.
The Byres Road Book Festival
Various Venues
24th – 27th September
w:visitwestend.com/brbf
Top for Open Doors
St Bride’s Episcopal Church in Glasgow’s West End is once again offering a rich and varied programme of events for visitors during this popular annual festival. With crafting collage for children, stained glass window tour, singing workshops and so much more, this promises to be a fantastic day for all.
The full programme details can also be found at:
Doors Open Days
St Bride’s Church
Hyndland
Saturday 19 September
10:00-17:00
