Glasgow’s Southside will once again play host to free open-air cinema screenings and family events this summer.
Tickets for the Queens Park Arena summer programme 2024 have gone on sale today (Friday) with a jam-packed schedule of events including live comedy, art workshops, fitness classes, and much more.
Running from June 28 to July 21, the month-long event has something for everyone from classic movies to European championship fixtures, and organisers are looking for audiences to pack out the southside park again, with more than 35,000 people attending over the course of 24-days in 2023.
Chet Capkiner, founding director of Inhouse Event Solutions CIC, said: “I’m very excited to welcome everyone in the southside and beyond back to Queens Park Arena this summer.
“I’m proud to be part of a team that is capable of delivering such a complex programme – and one which we strive to improve every year.
“We want to create a place unlike any other in the city and be ‘the’ destination that people visit in Glasgow during the summer holidays.”
Here is everything you need to know
What’s on?
There will be 31 movies showing, six live sports screenings, 15 creative workshops, 12 fitness classes, two competitive sporting events, and a dozen early years sessions on offer throughout the programme.
Cinema
From July 1 to July 19, the popular Cults and Classics free open-air cinema will run, with only a booking charge of 50p.
There will be weekday matinee and evening screenings of everything from Disney and Pixar to sing-a-longs, rom coms and, of course, cult classics. There will be a whopping 31 screenings available to book, including 18 family-friendly films and 13 movies suitable for over 18s.
In addition to the main features, pre-show content on Tuesday to Friday evenings will feature 12 short films curated by Glasgow Short Film Festival, celebrating rising Scottish directors and filmmakers, as well as live performances from local musicians.
Film selections include Shrek, Pretty Woman, Apocalypse Now, The Goonies, Scream, Anchorman, Fight Club, Slumdog Millionaire and many more.
Sporting events and competitions
As part of the programme’s Glasgow Games offering, there will be plenty for sports fans and fitness lovers, too. Not only will the UEFA Euro 2024 knockout round, quarter-finals and finals be screened live, but both the men’s and women’s Wimbledon finals will be shown on July 13/14.
For those looking to get more hands-on, there will be a range of competitive and participatory fitness events and classes, such as yoga, HIIT, Muay Thai, dancing and much more.
On July 13, The Glasgow Games Family Fitness Megathon will offer back-to-back fitness classes, including warm-ups, aerobics, HIIT and Socafit – and with space for up to 500 participants to exercise together, it’s set to be the biggest fitness class in Glasgow. Lycra is most certainly welcome, if not encouraged.
On July 14, The Glasgow Games - Battle of the Gyms will see a showdown between local gym instructors from Pure Gym, Anytime Fitness and Future Fitness, offering an adrenaline-fueled afternoon of competition, camaraderie and sheer determination as teams compete in 3 gruelling back-to-back team games for the title of Glasgow’s Fittest Gym.
Music and workshops
Opening the 2024 season at Queens Park Arena, The Glasgow Choir Festival will bring together talented groups from all over the city on June 28 as part of the programme’s Open Stage events, which include professionally produced arts and music activities from local and international talent.
On June 29, The Glasgow Annual Hip Hop Jam also returns to the historic amphitheatre, offering a multi-generational celebration of hip-hop culture, including live DJ and MC performances, street dance, and live art competitions.
Adding an extra special element to this year’s festivities, the Greenhouse Tent will feature an array of creative art workshops and activities for all ages, including DJ/MC lessons and graffiti workshops, as well as Songwriting, Steelpan and DJ skills workshops provided by SoundLab. With a reduced noise area that’s perfect for pets, and a “weather contingency zone” with a second screen for cinema and sports screenings, the 320 square metre covered area will ensure the fun keeps going no matter the weather.
Family events
It’s not only for adults though. For families, parents, grandparents and carers seeking entertainment for pre-schoolers during the summer holidays, the Big Fun section of the programme boasts a range of free early years activities, including toddler dance classes, book readings and soft play sessions.
Organisers say the tickets to family events should always be booked in advance to avoid disappointment as they usually sell quick.
How to get tickets
Tickets for all events are now available on the official Queen’s Park Arena Website.
Further details on dates and times can be found in the events full programme online.
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