Queen’s Park Arena’s 2025 Summer Programme returns
The heart of Glasgow’s southside will once again come alive with film, music, movement and creativity, as Queen’s Park Arena’s 2025 Summer Programme returns with a month-long celebration of culture, community and connection – with the vast majority free or donation-based.
Running from Thursday 3 July to Sunday 3 August, the open-air amphitheatre will host an incredible 90+ events spanning cinema, creative arts, early years, live music, sports and more. The full programme is now available online, with tickets available to book now via qpa.inhouse.scot.
At the heart of this year’s community-focused programme is the hugely popular Cults & Classics cinema strand, which features 31 open-air screenings, including 15 family matinees, 4 12+ family evening shows, and 12 18+ cult favourites and blockbusters. With a little something for everyone, from animated adventures and musicals to ’80s icons and indie gems. Week 1 of this year’s evening film programming includes Forrest Gump, Silence of the Lambs, The Matrix and Dirty Dancing with our matinees featuring family classics such as Frozen, Alice in Wonderland, WALL-E and Matilda.
For families looking to keep little ones entertained during the summer holidays, Big Fun returns with 15 early years sessions, 2 kids’ discos, and creative, engaging activities including dance, storytelling, music and movement. Additionally, Open Stage will host 15 free creative arts workshops, open to all ages and abilities, plus two flagship events – the Glasgow Choir Festival and the Scottish Annual Hip Hop Jam, both celebrating grassroots music, movement and expression. There is also a special addition to the calendar – with Optimo Music presenting a food bank fundraiser with an afternoon of music for the whole family.
Community wellbeing also takes centre stage this year through Glasgow Games, with 15 free family fitness classes in disciplines such as Muay Thai, dance fitness and yoga, alongside two major live sports screenings, and the introduction of the Glasgow Games 5k race in association with Parkrun.
This year’s programme also sees a boost in ticketed larger scale commercial events, with a new series of QPA Live music and comedy shows taking place across key weekends. Promoter 432 presents two massive highlights: the Opening Weekend launch (3-5 July ‘The Smyths’, ‘Arab Strap’ & ‘Warmduscher’) and a further two-days over the 18th and 19th July ‘Yard Act’ and ‘Gerdie Greep’, bringing a diverse line-up of live bands, DJs and performers to the amphitheatre. The final weekend of the programme features a co-production weekend with return of the 4th annual Sub Club Southside Weekender featuring headliners ‘Moodyman’ and ‘Derek Carter’ and of course last but not least the return of ‘Laugh in the Park’ live comedy.
Produced by Inhouse Event Solutions CIC, Queen’s Park Arena’s annual summer series has become a much-loved staple in Glasgow’s cultural calendar – anticipating over 45,000+ visitors to the site in 2025. This year’s expanded and inclusive programme is set to bring even more people together through accessible, inspiring and entertaining events for all ages.
Chet Capkiner, Founding Director of Inhouse Event Solutions CIC, said: “This summer, we’re building on everything our audiences love from cult cinema and creative workshops to live music and grassroots culture. We’re especially proud that most of our events remain completely free or donation-based, ensuring the programme is accessible to as many people as possible. I’m also very excited to bring back larger scale live music gigs to the arena this year for the first time since 2017, I can’t wait to welcome everyone back this year!”
With a fully licensed bar and local food traders on site, Queen’s Park Arena is the perfect spot to make a day or whole month of it.
To explore the full programme and book tickets, visit: qpa.inhouse.scot
Author: Glasgow Foodie
Writes for here and Foodie Explorers website. Usually found napping.