Organisers pull plug on open-air Kelvingrove Bandstand concerts this summer

A series of open-air concerts at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Bandstand this summer have been called off due to uncertainty over when social distancing restrictions will be lifted in Scotland.

All of Regular Music's planned open-air concerts at Kelvingrove Bandstand this summer have been postponed until 2022.

Primal Scream, Van Morrison, Edwyn Collins, Altered Images, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Rick Astley were all due to perform sold-out shows at the venue this July and August.

However organisers have postponed the entire Summer Nights series until next summer, admitting that this year’s shows would not have been able to go ahead with restrictions in place.

Fans had also been hoping to see King Creosote, Suzanne Vega, Richard Hawley, Belinda Carlisle and Rufus Wainwright at the 2500-capacity open-air venue.

The 11 shows which were due to go ahead this year had already been postponed for 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest news about the Kelvingrove gigs emerged shortly after the Scottish Government confirmed that concert venues, theatres and comedy clubs would be able to reopen with social distancing in place from 17 May.

Under the Scottish Government’s latest guidelines for the events industry, outdoor shows for up to 2000 people will be allowed from the end of June. However these are expected to have to comply with social distancing restrictions.

However the government has not indicated when social distancing measures will be able to be lifted completely – in contrast with England where a provisional end date of 21 June has been set.

An announcement from promoters Regular Music said: “It is with a heavy heart that, due to physical distancing measures that are still likely to be in place in July, we have taken the decision to postpone this year’s Summer Nights at the Bandstand until 2022.

“The festival has a deserved reputation for being a very special experience for both audience and

artists alike.

"For the audience, it is seeing their favourite artists up close, the great atmosphere, mixing with friends and singing along with the crowd.

"For the artists, it’s connecting with the audience in such an intimate setting and feeling the energy from an arena full of excited fans.

"As much as we would dearly love to be able to return this summer, it will not be possible to go ahead with the festival with restrictions in place or to guarantee the experience that everyone has come to expect.

"Even in Level 0, the lowest level of restrictions, social distancing and other restrictions will still likely be required at outdoor events this July.

"We have decided it would be best for all to postpone the festival until next year.

"We’re grateful to all of the artists for rescheduling their shows and delighted to confirm that we are able to keep the same line-up in place for 2022.”

A series of outdoor concerts are still due to go ahead in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh in August.

Sir Tom Jones, Anne-Marie, DMA’s, Michael Kiwanuka, Travis and Simple Minds are all due to perform as part of the Edinburgh Summer Sessions.

The shows are due to coincide with the staging of the Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe and the Tattoo.