Glasgow 850 Launched

Glasgow City Council has revealed the new brand behind its plans to mark the city’s 850th birthday in 2025.

Throughout 2025 Glasgow will mark its 850th birthday by delivering, with partners, a citywide programme that celebrates and reflects on our recent past, our present and future.

New brand launched

Developed to complement the city’s distinctive and popular People Make Glasgow look, the new brand brings plans for a yearlong programme of activities for Glasgow 850 together under one strong visual identity.

Designed by Glasgow-based firm Tangent, the idea came from thinking about how people have and continue to use physical badges to visually represent who they are – reflecting passions, achievements and allegiances.

The four core icons used with the brand are recognisable symbols synonymous with Glasgow’s story. More symbols will be developed to highlight the wide-ranging achievements of the city and its people, with a special focus on the past fifty years and a strong emphasis on its future ambitions. 

The brand will be free to use and made available to businesses, and community groups, to help them show support for Glasgow 850 and get involved. In today’s digital first age, people will be offered different digital ‘badge’ icons to use, each representing something the city can be proud of and a way to curate their own icons, with meaningful and relevant symbols. This allows everyone mark this milestone and show the world what Glasgow means to them, personally.

Susanne Miller, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council said:

Marking the city’s 850th birthday is an opportunity that goes beyond celebrations and commemorations. It acknowledges the contributions of generations who have shaped the city, gives a platform to grow a shared sense of belonging and invites people to guide our future.

This new Glasgow850 brand is an imaginative and inclusive way for people to take part and express what Glasgow means to them and helping them to tell their story.

Cultural and festival fund

A new £100,000 cultural fund has also been launched as part Glasgow's 850th celebrations next year.

The fund, designed to support and enhance existing established city events and festivals, can see applicants bid for up to £10,000 to include Glasgow 850 themes and activities in their programming for 2025.

Bids are being sought from established festivals and events to add value to their existing festival offerings by including additional programming which can celebrate or showcase the richness and diversity of Glasgow talent, engage children and young people in the city and deliver community outreach activity. 

Applications are open from Thursday, 20 June 2024 and close 5pm Wednesday, 31 July 2024, with successful bidders being announced in September, as part of the Glasgow 850 programme launch. 

Full application details including eligibility criteria can be found at glasgow850.com 

Billy Garrett, Director of Culture, Tourism and Events at Glasgow Life, said:

The Glasgow 850 Festival Fund is a cornerstone of our city programming next year, enabling established events to amplify their impact and reach wider audiences in our local communities. This fund not only aims to highlight the incredible talent we have in Glasgow but also ensures that our communities can participate in and experience the celebrations. 

The fund supports events that align with the themes of Glasgow 850, to mark the city's rich heritage, reflect on its transformational growth, and inspire a vision for the next fifty years. It's also an opportunity for established events to attract and work with new audiences in the city through outreach activity.

A year to celebrate Glasgow

Plans are being made to announce the signature events within the Glasgow 850 programme in September, along with a new website and businesses engagement activity.

The calendar of signature events and community-based activities is being curated to let those with a connection to Glasgow, at home and abroad, get involved to tell their stories, honouring our rich heritage, reflecting on transformational growth, and inspiring ambitious change for the city's next fifty years.

Find more at glasgow850.com.