Glasgow UNESCO City of Music

Glasgow was named the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music, and only the third in the world, in August 2008. The city is internationally recognised as Scotland’s music capital with over half a million people enjoying gigs in its iconic venues every year.

Key Information

Counties:
Glasgow City
Year of Inscription:
2008

What makes this UNESCO Designation special?

Glasgow’s music scene is legendary. From hosting Scotland’s biggest music festivals to many of its national organisations, music is the city’s beating heart. Celtic Connections and TRNSMT have their home in Glasgow, alongside Scottish Opera, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, and Scottish Ensemble.

Glasgow’s venues are iconic and diverse, and the city hosts around 130 events per week making it Scotland’s busiest city for gigs. The city is famed for the enthusiasm and energy of its audiences, which is no surprise as it’s regularly voted one of the friendliest cities in the world.

Glasgow City of Music Factsheet 2024
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