By Liam Smillie
The first festival in 2015 originated as a way for the neighbourhood to fight racism following attacks in the local area and, almost a decade on, its anti-racist stance remains vital to the festival and its community. The opening weekend will see a defiant, joyful procession through the streets of Govanhill, as the annual parade brings together samba, lion dancers, street drumming, banners, costumes and a unicorn. This year, the parade starts at Queen’s Park and winds its way into the heart of Govanhill, arriving in Govanhill Park where the celebration continues with free workshops, live music and a community meal prepared by Govanhill Pantry and partners. Central to the programme this year are the Creative Neighbourhood Grants projects. These commissions – awarded by the festival – support local people, networks and organisations to shape public culture on their own terms. The events reflect a commitment to creative work rooted in lived experience, collaborative expression and shared authorship. Funded projects include: Govanhill’s Got Talent! with Romano Lav; The Future is Written Queer with Inkling Studios; Archiving Anti-Racism in Govanhill with Glasgow Zine Library; live dance poem Flock; Govanhill: A Photobooth of Voices with Greater Govanhill magazine; Requiem: An Exploratory Creative Residency delving into the untold stories of Irish women who migrated to Scotland; The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady listening event; Barbourfest which celebrates the 150th anniversary of housing rights activist Mary Barbour; Queer Theory Cabaret; a Community Chevruta exploring the thousand-year-old Jewish practice of learning in partnership; and youth-led public sculpture Blanket Bog with Rumpus Room. Arts & Heritage Manager, Simone Stewart said: “Last year, as anti-immigration protests erupted across parts of England, here in Govanhill – Scotland’s most diverse square mile, where more than eighty languages are spoken – thousands of people came together to march, sing and celebrate solidarity through our parade. At a time when hatred was spilling onto the streets elsewhere, our working class, multicultural community showed what it means to build belonging. The arts have a crucial role in building this kind of social cohesion – not just bringing people together as audiences, but inviting them to step forward as participants, collaborators and decision-makers. That’s why this year we’ve launched our Creative Neighbourhood Grants, giving local individuals, artists, networks and organisations the resources and the responsibility to create work that matters to their communities. It’s about creating public culture that is shared, representative and lasting – opening space for new voices, building relationships, skills and connections that go far beyond the festival itself.” The ever-popular Govanhill Book Festival will return to Queen’s Park Govanhill Parish Church. Opening with Nicola Sturgeon in conversation with Book Festival Director Jim Monaghan, the Glasgow Southside MSP and former First Minister of Scotland will talk about the upcoming release of her memoir ‘Frankly.’ A packed second day hosts talks from poet Alycia Pirmohamed, short story writer Chris McQueer in conversation with Peter Mohan, and performer, poet and theatre maker Martin O’Connor with Shane Johnstone on poetry collection ‘Govanhill Mythology.’ Palestinian solidarity is woven throughout the festival, and the final instalment of the Book Festival comes from Welcome to the Fringe: Palestine who present a showcase of some of the most exciting writing coming out of Palestine today. Poets, novelists and storytellers come to Govanhill from Gaza, Galilee and New York, featuring Deline Abushaban, Dareen Tartour, Mohamed Mousa (Gaza Poets Society) and Randa Jarrar. At the Glad Cafe, Welcome to the Fringe: Palestine continues with a mini-festival of Palestinian art celebrating its vital role in the ongoing struggle for liberation. The evening includes poetry from Mohamed Moussa; words from leading queer Palestinian voice Randa Jarrar; traditional music from the great Amal Kaawash; thrilling spoken word from Fadi Murad; and an electrifying DJ set diving into the heart of Palestinian underground music from Bruno Cruz. Further Palestinian events include In The Thread that Binds us to Palestine, an exploration of the history of Palestine’s textile industry and the disruption of the ongoing genocide, and Ruh al Ruh, an open rehearsal of a new play by playwright and director Rafat Al Aydi, exploring ways to live during the current war. Across the festival, The Irish Roots strand continues to highlight working-class histories of migration, music, language and collective organising through projects including The Derry Boat to Donegal Hill Heritage Trail, a talk with writer Maura McRobbie, an Irish language and singing taster events, and the Inishowen Traditional Singers’ Circle sessions; Gaelic Heritage is showcased through language learning sessions for young children and a talk with writers Joni Buchanan and Shane Johnstone. A wide range of music, dance, art and performance also feature in the eclectic programme, with everything from Vocal or Version Reggae Dance, psych-rockers The Warlocks, joyful free-form party Vita Nova, and cult Glasgow legends Hugh Reed and the Velvet Underpants to a tribute to radical folk singer Woody Guthrie, improvised performance Wee Move, a celebration of protest song by campaigner Jim King, immersive lights-out movement event Groove is in the Dark, and high energy Colombian dance band Killabeatmaker sitting alongside Open Sauce comedy night, Wildcard Stories showcase of the best storytellers in Govanhill, and Spangled Cabaret, Glasgow’s longest running alternative variety show all filling the festival evenings. Hotblast by Hayley Jane Dawson and G42, an exhibition shaped by place and memory, dip into the local visual art scene. Discussions and workshops bring together people and ideas throughout GIFC25 in events such as Glasgow’s Anti-Racist History which draws comparisons with fighting fascists in the 1930s and the collective stand on Kenmure Street in 2021; radical Jewish historian Dr Donny Gluckstein will join Jade Eckhaus to uncover hidden histories of Jewish anti-Zionism and resistance; Cultivating Community Activism shares learning and inspiration from modern housing activity Cathy McCormack; and Equal Pay: Glasgow Women on Strike documents the industrial action taken by predominantly female Glasgow City Council workers in 2018. The festival will also host two days of film screenings and discussion around South Asian women on screen; a discussion and collaborative banner-making reflecting on artists, poets, organisers and thinkers with disabilities; and Foraging as Resistance – a screening and discussion of Foragers, hosted by the LGBTQI+ Gardening Group, which depicts how a Palestinian community’s love of collecting plants became an act of resistance. An Ethiopian coffee ceremony, an invitation to explore GBCT’s Men’s Shed at the Deep End, and a walking tour of ghost signs in the Southside round off this year’s events programme. The final day welcomes a multi-venue Street Music Festival. With live sets curated by SNACK Magazine, Duende, and Love Music Hate Racism, plus a pop-up dance hub and multicultural stages. Everyone is invited to dance, listen and be together. DJ sets, dance interventions, poetry and spontaneous performance will fill streets, cafes and courtyards in the Southside with sound, movement and solidarity. The festival will come to a close with this call for joy, justice and cultural resistance. Organised by Govanhill Baths Community Trust, this year’s festival unfolds as the Baths undergo major renovation, transforming into a Wellbeing Centre, shaped by over two decades of community action since the 2001 occupation of the site following Glasgow City Council’s decision to close the Baths. This was the longest-running occupation of a public building in British history. This year the festival is commemorating the swimmer icon from the original Govanhill Baths signage, a symbol of that action, as the charity works towards bringing back the swimming pools to the neighbourhood. As an anti-racist festival, GIFC encourages speaking up, respectful disagreement, sharing different ideas, and expressing ourselves freely – all while finding joy in the process. The festival celebrates events that engage with social, political, community and environmental challenges and invites everyone to take the leap of imagination needed to create change, one creative project at a time. Supported by Creative Scotland, Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government and a huge number of partners across the community without whom the festival would not happen.