A free outdoor festival will take place this summer in Glasgow as part of Dandelion, a creative programme taking place across Scotland in 2022. Following the arc of the growing season, Dandelion aims to inspire people to ‘sow, grow and share’ food, music, knowledge and ideas. A 10 metre high pavilion installation will form a stage-set, housing plant-life within a giant vertical farm.
Taking place over three days, from Friday 17th June until Sunday 19th June, the first Dandelion Festival will take root in Kelvingrove Park, with the second taking place in Inverness at the Northern Meeting Park, from the 2nd until 4th September. Across the weekend the park will host live music, interactive walkabout theatre, science and creative activities for all the family, talks, participatory workshops and food.
The Friday evening and Saturday of each festival will be devoted to live music from Scottish and international artists across two stages presented in partnership with Celtic Connections and Glasgow Life.
In Glasgow, the music line-up includes performances from In Glasgow, the music line-up includes performances from Rura, Les Amazones d’Afrique, Newton Faulkner, Niteworks, This is the Kit, The Orchestral Qawwali Project with Abi Sampa, Admiral Fallow, Darlingside, Hannah Rarity, Jason Singh, National Youth Pipe Band, LYRE LYRE, Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra, Lisa Rigby, Baque Luar, Hen Hoose featuring Tamara Schlesinger, Emma Pollock, Elisabeth Elektra, Suse Bear, Pippa Murphy, Karine Polwart, Carla J Easton, Jayda, Amandah Wilkinson, with more special guests to be announced ahead of the Festival.
Sitting at the heart of the festival site will be the ‘Pavilion of Perpetual Light’, a striking 10-metre-tall art installation. The Pavilion is created from 60 miniature vertical farms – 1m x 1m growing cubes specially created for Dandelion, brought together to form a giant structure, with built-in stage, acting as a backdrop to performances. The installation will host an abundance of plant life, tended to by ‘performer-technicians’ creating a spectacular focal point. The site will host a further two stages, including the circular ‘Orchard Stage’ presenting artists in the round, allowing people to gather 360 degrees around the stage to see bands in a close-up, intimate setting.
Alongside the live music, sits a creative programme of activities for all ages. Over the three days, scientists, activists, technologists and writers will come together with chefs, musicians, artists and performers to spark conversations around Dandelion’s core theme of how people can creatively engage with topics such as food poverty, climate action and sustainability.
A series of Dandelion ‘Potting Sheds’ dotted across the park will host artists, performers and community organisations, whilst Dandelion’s team of student horticulturalists will be on hand to answer questions about plants and growing. There is the chance to get up close and learn more about Dandelion’s growing cubes, whilst under 5s can discover the world of plants and nature in The Nursery. On Friday daytime the Dandelion Festival will welcome local schools to take part in science activities, talks and creative workshops. The event will culminate on the Sunday with a mass free plant giveaway to inspire the public to grow at home and a special long table community meal share.
Commissioned by EventScotland and funded via the Scottish Government, Dandelion is Scotland’s contribution to UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a nationwide programme of creative events and engagement. Dandelion brings together artists, scientists, performers, and technologists to present a six-month series of events and programmes throughout Scotland, starting on 28 April.
Donald Shaw, Music Director of Dandelion said: “We’re delighted to reveal the first artists for Glasgow’s Dandelion Festival. It will be a very special environment with performances on unique stages within the iconic splendour of Kelvingrove Park. We’re also very excited to be able to host the premiere performance of Hen Hoose, a brilliant new collective of Scottish female and non-binary musicians. All of the musicians who feature on our line-up have a passion for the values of Dandelion, sharing our beliefs in environmentalism, individual action against climate change and the need to address issues around food poverty. The Dandelion Festivals tell the Dandelion story in creative, accessible, powerful ways and make the connections between growing and cultural experiences. These are truly family friendly events with interactive demos, talks and discussion about art, science and music for everyone at all levels of interest.”
Hen Hoose founder, Tamara Schlesinger said: “We are absolutely delighted to be playing our debut Hen Hoose live performance at Dandelion Festival this year. Hen Hoose was formed to highlight the talent of female and non-binary songwriters and producers in Scotland and I can’t think of a better environment for us to have our first show. It is fantastic to have the opportunity to bring all of us together on one stage, to play at an event with such important values.”
Dr Bridget McConnell, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life, said: “Set against the spectacular backdrop of Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow’s exciting Dandelion Festival will bring a rich mix of world-class music, presented in partnership with Glasgow Life’s Celtic Connections team, and inspiring and immersive cultural experiences to the city this summer. The Dandelion programme is an innovative and ambitious approach to community growing and engagement; one that’s rooted in bringing people together to celebrate food, music, sustainability and diversity as well as showcasing the power of collaboration and collective action. Projects like Dandelion, as part of the wider UNBOXED collective, are hugely important to Scotland’s social and economic recovery, and the recovery of our creative industries, and Glasgow Life is delighted to be working with partners to champion and support its delivery.”
Glasgow Dandelion Festival
17-19 June
Kelvingrove Park,
6 Professors’ Square
Glasgow, G3
The Dandelion Programme
“The Dandelion programme follows the arc of the growing season, from April to September 2022. It will culminate in hundreds of Harvest gatherings across Scotland, reimagining the cultural celebration of harvest for the 21st century, led by the next generation of producers, musicians and growers. In between, the programme can be found all over Scotland – creating 13 ‘Unexpected Gardens’ in unusual places across the country, launch a ‘floating garden’ that will travel the canal network across the Central Belt, stage two major music festivals featuring Scottish and International artists in Glasgow this June, and Inverness in September, and encouraging people all over the country to get growing at one of over 20 ‘Free-for-all’ events that will see thousands of free plants given away to audiences.”
April – September 2022