Kelvingrove Park’s is the only original bandstand left in the city, and will once again be the focal point of the annual music events across two weeks in July and August.

This year’s event boasts some big Scottish names such as Edwyn Collins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Primal Scream, who headline two nights.

Alongside the local talent, the line-up also includes American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ singer Rick Astley, Sheffield troubadour Richard Hawley, and Northern Irish instrumentalist Van Morrison.

As well as many more artists, of course.

“Thrilled to share that I’ll be part of the absolutely stellar line-up for Kelvingrove Bandstand this summer,” said Edinburgh’s KT Tunstall, who plays the bandstand on 6 August.

“If you haven’t experienced a gig at this special venue before, I highly recommend it and, if you have… I’m betting you’ll want to come again! The girls and I will see you there."

The full line-up of acts is as follows:

30 July - Suzanne Vega

31 July - Belinda Carlisle

1 August - Rufus Wainwright

4 August - Van Morrison

5 August - Yusuf/Cat Stevens

6 August - KT Tunstall

7 August - Rick Astley

8 August - Richard Hawley

11 and 12 August - Primal Scream

13 August - King Creosote ‘From Scotland with Love’

14 August - The Jesus & Mary Chain

15 August - Edwyn Collins & Altered Images

“Once again, the Summer Nights concerts are set to be among the cultural highlights of 2020," said councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life. “What a fantastic line-up.”

“As a Unesco City of Music, Glasgow is proud to welcome these prestigious artists to this first-class, open-air stage. And whatever the weather, audiences are assured of a musical treat.”

How do I get tickets?

Tickets for the concerts go on sale on Friday 24 January at 9am from Ticketmaster.

The history of the bandstand

The original wrought iron bandstand in Kelvingrove was created for the first International Exhibition in 1888.

In 1924, it was moved to the Alexander Hamilton Park in Stonehouse, where it later became a tea room before being restored to its original state.

The new bandstand in Kelvingrove was built in 1924 and could sit up to 3,000 people with another 7,000 standing on the natural gradient of the land.

Capacity today now sits at around 2,500.

While musicians including Belinda Carlisle, Primal Scream, Rufus Wainwright, and The Jesus & Mary Chain will take to the stage this summer, the programme back in its early days featured free classical concerts on a Sunday, with jazz and traditional Scottish music performances later scheduled.

Military bands were also a popular choice in the late 1920s, with the bagpipers of the Royal Scots Greys regularly creating a spectacle in the park with their black and white bearskin headdresses.

The bandstand got a jolt of new energy during the 1970s as Glasgow’s rock and alternative music scene began to flourish, with ‘punk picnics’ and free music festivals held in the early 1970s.

By the 1980s, the bandstand became a platform for local bands like Wet, Wet, Wet, Hue and Cry and Simple Minds with thousands drawn to the park every weekend.

Kelvingrove Bandstand gigs 2020: Glasgow Summer Nights line-up, tickets and dates