The Glasgow Garden Festival was the first international event to be held in Glasgow in over 50 years following the Empire Exhibition in 1938 and arguably marked a turning point in the fortunes of the biggest city in Scotland. With substantial investment in the event, the Festival signalled a rebirth of the city from a historically industrial city to a hub of culture with Glasgow being named as the European City of Culture in 1990.
If you visited, you may remember the Coca Cola rollercoaster and the Clydesdale Bank tower. Here we take a look back at he hugely successful Garden Festival, which attracted over 4 million visitors to the city, making the Glasgow event the most popular of the five Garden Festivals held across the UK.
17. The men’s 10km road race
Mark Roland and Michael Chorlton came 1st and 2nd respectively in the Men's section of the Kodak Glasgow Garden Festival 10km road race, May 1988. Photo: Donald MacLeod
18. Sponsored Tram Pull
Shawlands rugby club take part in a sponsored tram pull for Telethon 88 at Glasgow Garden Festival in May 1988. Photo: Bob Nicholson
19. Highland Dancers from Japan
The Tokyo Scottish Blubell Club, a Highland dance group from Japan, perform at the Glasgow Garden Festival in August 1988 Photo: Allan Milligan
20. The Clydesdale Bank Tower at night
The Clydesdale Bank Tower was an impressive temporary addition to Glasgow’s skyline - it was unique in that the disc observation platform would descend and ascend the tower to pick up festival guests.(Pic: Glasgow City Archives)