Glasgow 2026 Festival Fund gives £1.25m boost to city community groups

• The Glasgow 2026 Festival will run from 23 May to 9 August, forming a city-wide celebration of sport, culture and community alongside this summer’s Commonwealth Games, with hundreds of community led events and local activities taking place across Glasgow
• Following more than 400 applications, funding partners expanded the grants programme to support an incredible 163 projects to stage activity across all 23 of the city’s wards
• The Glasgow 2026 Festival Fund was initially a £250,000 grant scheme to support community groups, artists, cultural organisations, sports clubs, creatives and social enterprises to deliver activity inspired by the Games and engage local communities
• The fund has now grown to £1.25 million thanks to additional backing from Glasgow 2026, Commonwealth Sport, the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and sportscotland
  Glasgow community groups are celebrating a £1.25 million funding boost linked to the return of the Commonwealth Games to the city this summer.

The Glasgow 2026 Festival will be a celebration of sport, culture and community taking place between 23 May and 9 August 2026, in the lead up to and during the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, which is set to be the biggest sporting event in the UK this year.

Developed and delivered by Glasgow Life in collaboration with Glasgow 2026, and made possible thanks to funding from Commonwealth Sport, the Glasgow 2026 Festival will feature a vibrant programme of creative projects, family friendly events and community activities across the city.

A key part of the festival is the Glasgow 2026 Festival Fund which was launched last year as a £250,000 grant programme. Due to incredible demand, which saw over 400 applications submitted, the fund has been significantly expanded to £1.25m, thanks to support from Glasgow 2026, Commonwealth Sport, the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and sportscotland.

The Festival Fund is providing funding grants of up to £10,000 to 163 projects across all 23 of Glasgow’s wards, ensuring a city-wide programme of community-led events, performances, sports participation and cultural activities, designed to celebrate Glasgow’s creativity and communities.

The funded community groups, artists, cultural organisations, sports clubs, creatives and social enterprises will deliver projects aligning with at least one of the festival’s three themes - gathering, social justice and celebration - with the aim of increasing participation in arts, culture and sport, while creating lasting community impact.

At the Festival Fund launch event at the Old Fruitmarket today (March 24), trapeze artists from circus group Aerial Edge helped bring the launch to life.

They were joined by a wide range of community sports groups including Scottish BMX School, delivering skills sessions for young riders, Easterhouse Henosis, which is planning a basketball and family festival, and Glasgow Frontrunners, who will host a celebration event of LGBTQIA+ participation in athletics.

Together with organisations spanning dance, theatre and music - including Y Dance, Theatre Alliance and Whacking Scotland - the launch showcased the breadth and energy of projects set to take place across the city.

Katie Sadleir, Commonwealth Sport Chief Executive said: "The Festival Fund ensures the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games are felt right across the city, not just in venues, but in the communities that bring the Games to life.

"As part of the wider Festival programme funded by Commonwealth Sport, it will help more people experience the Games on their doorstep and be part of a truly memorable summer for Glasgow.
"We’re hugely grateful to sportscotland, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government for joining us in delivering this Fund and helping bring the spirit of the Games into communities across Glasgow.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray MSP said: “Glasgow 2026 offers the opportunity to showcase the very best of the city and Scotland, as it hosts high performance athletes on a global stage. It will also provide benefits that extend far beyond the Games.

“The Festival Fund will be a clear example of that. I’m pleased the Scottish Government can support an initiative that through a range of exciting community-led events, will provide opportunities for Glasgow residents to participate in arts, sports and cultural activities during our fantastic summer of sport.”

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader, Glasgow City Council said: “The countdown to the Games is now well and truly on, and Glasgow’s communities are itching to be part of it. With well over 150 local events taking place in every ward across the city before, during and after Glasgow 2026, we’re making sure everyone has an opportunity to get involved.

“This is going to be a fantastic summer of sport. It’s also going to be a once-in-a-generation celebration of our city, its people and its culture and, as they always do, Glaswegians are going to rise to the occasion. So, I’m delighted that the City Council is playing its part in making sure that the Glasgow 2026 Festival will be truly something special, a summer that will live long in the city’s memory.”

Phil Batty OBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow 2026 said: “The response from communities across the city to the Festival Fund is incredible. It brings to life the magnitude of enthusiasm and local support for the Games returning to Glasgow. Through the Glasgow 2026 Festival, there is now a citywide programme of activities for everyone to enjoy this summer and I can’t wait for it to get started.

“Major sporting events can spark inspiration and joy when co-created with the grassroots organisations that work in Glasgow’s communities every day. The 163 local projects announced today demonstrate that when you trust artists, sports clubs and community groups to deliver engagement they will rise to the opportunity.”

Glasgow 2026 Festival funding will also turbocharge the city’s existing event calendar, which includes Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Visual Art, Merchant City Festival, Glasgow Mela and Piping Live!.

The Commonwealth Games returns to Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August, featuring 10 sports and 6 Para sports, 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories, in an 11-day celebration driven by the city’s vibrant spirit.

Inspired by The Games, the Glasgow 2026 Festival, will transform the city into a summer-long cultural showcase. From outdoor performances and community celebrations to innovative arts, music and installations, the Festival will create an exciting buildup to the Games and continue after the final medal has been awarded, making summer 2026 a truly unmissable experience across Glasgow.