Wasps at The Briggait is set to host the 2026 Merchant City Festival, with the former fish market serving as a hub for the event’s programme.
Merchant City Festival returns to Glasgow from 24 July to 2 August, bringing two weekends of live performance, music, visual arts, street theatre and family activities to venues and public spaces across the city centre. Alongside its established programme in Candleriggs Square and throughout the Merchant City, this year’s festival expands its footprint to include The Briggait as a major festival hub for the first time, with a programme of free events running across both weekends.
Throughout the festival, The Briggait will host Clydeside Commons, an indoor and outdoor social space combining free DJ performances, street food, drinks and informal gathering spaces. DJ takeovers curated by local collectives including Subcity Radio, Junglehussi, Radio Buena Vida, Clyde Built Radio, Kin-Tu and Music Space will provide a soundtrack throughout the weekends, while The Rail Yard will offer food and drink inspired by Commonwealth cuisines.
The venue will also present a broad programme of participation and cultural activity, including family workshops, children’s storytelling, interactive installations, artist-led activities and pop-up performances. Visitors can take part in hands-on creative sessions, encounter contemporary performance works and explore activities designed for audiences of all ages.
A central part of the programme is Watershed, a series of talks, exhibitions, screenings, workshops and public discussions organised by the team behind the Who Owns the Clyde? podcast. Focusing on the River Clyde, Commonwealth rivers and the concept of river rights, Watershed brings together artists, writers, academics and community organisations to explore Glasgow’s relationship with its waterways through conversation, storytelling, poetry and visual art. The programme runs across both festival weekends and includes exhibitions, children’s events and free public discussions.
Discover the full calendar of events and what’s on at The Briggait on the Merchant City Festival website.
