Go west for a month-long fest

June means one thing on that side of the river; the West End Festival. The main event — festival parade — takes place on June 8, with over 500 participants mardi gras-ing their way down Byres Road and rounding Kelvingrove Park.

But first, there’s the Gibson Street Gala, taking place this Sunday and promising entertainment and barbecues galore — all giving this little patch of Kelvinbridge a village feel.

With a whole month to fill up, there’s more to the West End Fest than the big events, including a programme of shows throughout the month from The Cottier Chamber Project — this year branching out of the Hyndland theatre and bringing classical chamber music to the masses.

Music highlights include the free There Ain’t No Devil, at the Rio Cafe — an evening of Tom Waits songs performed by (perhaps less bourbon-soaked) musicians on June 6.

And for theatre fans, there’s makar Liz Lochhead performing excerpts from her much-loved Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off (relating it to the upcoming referendum) on June 13.

From open air cinema (Chariots of Fire at Glasgow University) to Comedian Rap Battles at The Stand, there’s too much in the West End Festival programme to divulge — but for those of you southsiders thinking it worth a subway fare, the programme is available at www.westendfestival.co.uk.