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Around Town
Not so quiet . . .
. . . on the Western front. From moon landings to pirate ship battles, there’s a lot of homegrown activity in Glasgow this fortnight, finds Kirstin Innes
S o, apparently there’s this . . . festival thing, happening in Edinburgh? Whatever. While the gallons of international acts pouring into the Capital at the beginning of August do traditionally tend to hog the headlines at this time of year, with loads of exciting-looking homegrown festivals and conventions packing the schedules rumours of Glasgow’s cultural death in late July have been greatly exaggerated.
There’s a lot happening doon the watter: the now- annual Glasgow River Festival (various locations along the Clyde near the Science Centre, Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jul, www.glasgowriverfestival.co.uk) is back with a splash (baddaboom), complete with jet ski racing area, the famous rubber ducky race, a test landing from the Loch Lomond seaplane, abseiling with the Royal Marines, a chance to explore on board HMS Blyth, one of the most advanced mine hunting ships in the world, and (and this is the really good bit) an actual battle between pirate ships! On the River Clyde! We’re so excited we might need a lie down! If you’re feeling rather more reflective, though, swing by The Lighthouse, where their ongoing exhibition The Clyde: Films of the River (runs until Sunday 20 Sep) explores the links between the Clyde and the people of Glasgow in a series of
documentaries and amateur film reels made between 1912 and 1971. The first weekend of August means that the monster trucks are coming out to play on Glasgow Green again: it’s the annual Glasgow Show (Sat 1 & Sun 2 Aug, also www.glasgowriverfestival.co.uk), full of thrills and hopefully not too many spills. It’s not just monster trucks, either; the Lord Provost kicks everything off with a parade through the city from George Square on Saturday morning, and there will be motorbike display teams, horse riding, live music,a karaoke stage and a market village space for local produce.
Finally, our absolute favourite Glasgow event this fortnight is Satellite 2 (Crowne Plaza Hotel, Congress Road, Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jul). Ostensibly, it’s a sci-fi convention celebrating 40 years since the Apollo moon landing, but the programme has been put together in the spirit of wide-eyed wonder that many children of the 1960s viewed the moon landing, and spills out from there to look at the sci-fi programmes, books and films from the post-moon era, as well as hosting discussions on the future of space travel and the nature of fan communities. Iain Banks, in his sci-fi disguise as Iain M. Banks, is the guest of honour.
www.list.co.uk/aroundtown Hitlist GHOSTS, SPACE & SUFFRAGETTES*
✽✽ The Gathering 2009 The cream of the Year of Homecoming hits Edinburgh. See caption, page 33. Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jul. ✽✽ Amarula’s African Festival A four-day event featuring the sounds of Africa, live poetry readings and an Afro-beat DJ. St Andrew’s Square Gardens, Edinburgh, until Sat 25 Jul. ✽✽ Votes for Women 100 years after the enormous Suffragette march through Edinburgh, this exhibition takes a look at the history of the women’s suffrage movement in Scotland. Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, until Sat 9 Jan. ✽✽ Satellite 2 Sci-fi convetion celebrating the anniversary of the historic moon landings. See preview, left. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow, Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jul. ✽✽ Handmade Heaven Shop for groovy treats without worrying about children in sweatshops working their wee fingers to the bone, courtesy of the Glasgow Craft Mafia. See Shop, page 12. Mono, Glasgow, Sun 26 Jul. ✽✽ Full Circle – Glasgow’s Ghost Dance Shirt Return A day of talks celebrating the repatriation of the Lakota Ghost Dance Shirt, donated to the Kelvingrove after the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee and returned over 100 years later. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow, Sat 1 Aug. 23 Jul–6 Aug 2009 THE LIST 31