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This week in Glasgow

Issue #1 · Thursday 22 October 2026
Your practical guide to Glasgow, whatever the weather.

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🧭 Compass Check

Hello, and welcome to the very first Compass. This one covers Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, and the short version is: this weekend is wet and wild, Halloween weekend looks much kinder. Plan indoor things for Saturday and Sunday, and save the outdoor Halloween trails for the 30th and 31st. One more thing: the clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October, so you get an extra hour in bed and lose an hour of daylight in the evening.

☁️ The Forecast, Honestly

The Met Office says: heavy rain clearing north through Friday, then "further spells of heavy rain over the weekend with winds strengthening and bringing a risk of gales." Their long-range outlook to 3 November stays "changeable and at times unsettled". So treat Thursday 29 onwards as hopeful, not promised. We'll update you on Monday if things change.

What to wear: waterproof jacket with a hood. Forget the umbrella this weekend, the wind will turn it inside out on Buchanan Street. Bring layers for the dark, chilly evenings at outdoor trails.

⭐ This Week's Big Five

1. Paisley Halloween Festival (Day trip, 15 mins by train)
Scotland's largest Halloween parade, roughly 400 performers on a "Haunted House" theme, with street theatre, light shows on Paisley Abbey and Town Hall, and a funfair.
📅 Fri 23 Oct 4–9pm, Sat 24 Oct 2–9pm. Parade 7pm both nights (about 60 mins).
💷 Free. Covered grandstand seats £15pp or £54 for four (including booking fee).
🌧️ Weather note: Friday is wet and Saturday has a gale risk. The council says some installations are "subject to weather conditions", so check its page before you go. The covered grandstand is the smart buy this year.
🚆 Glasgow Central to Paisley Gilmour Street takes under 15 mins. Exit via County Square.
→ renfrewshire.gov.uk/parks-libraries-and-culture/events/paisley-halloween-festival

2. GlasGLOW: Zombie Zoo (West End, Botanic Gardens)
A 60-minute after-dark outdoor trail with light, sound and "dead-friendly zombies", plus a street-food village and marshmallow toasting. Runs until Sun 1 Nov.
💷 Twilight: adult £26, child from £14, family (2+2) £76. From 25 Oct, twilight entry is 4.30–5.15pm, which suits wee ones. Peak (Fri–Sun): adult £28, family £94. Off-peak Mon 26–Thu 29 from 5.30pm: family £76. Under-3s free. Tickets only via glasglow.com.
🌤️ Our tip: aim for Thu 29–Sun 1, when the gusts drop right off.
→ itison.com/glasglow

3. Turandot, Scottish Opera (City Centre, Theatre Royal)
Sir David McVicar's new production of Puccini's final opera, in its centenary year, "Nessun dorma" and all.
📅 Thu 22, Wed 28 & Sat 31 Oct at 7.15pm. Sun 25 Oct at 3pm (audio-described, touch tour 1.45pm). Also 4 & 7 Nov.
💷 £15 tickets for under-26s. Around 2 hrs 50 including two intervals. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Contains nudity.
→ scottishopera.org.uk/shows/turandot

4. The Witch's Lair: Halloween Family Party (Southside, Glasgow Science Centre)
Three floors of spooky science: spellcasting shows, a planetarium trip to Titan (8+), potion-brewing, and heart-and-lung dissections for the strong of stomach. Costumes encouraged.
📅 Fri 30 Oct, 6–9pm. 💷 £9.95pp, under-3s free.
→ glasgowsciencecentre.org/whats-on/halloween-family-party

5. Matthew Bourne's The Car Man (Charing Cross, King's Theatre)
Bourne's dance thriller moves Carmen to a 1950s Midwest garage-diner. Stylish and dark, so check the age guidance before booking for teens.
📅 Tue 27–Sat 31 Oct, 7.30pm. 💷 Visit Glasgow lists £36–£137. Check ATG for availability.
→ visitglasgow.com/events/matthew-bournes-the-car-man-27102026-2856746

🌦️ Rain Plan (Fri 23–Wed 28)

• OVO Hydro (Finnieston): Gladiators Live Tour Sat 24–Sun 25, J. Cole Mon 26, Kevin Bridges Tue 27 & Thu 29, Manic Street Preachers + Suede Wed 28. Exact timings usually go up 2–3 days before, on the event page. → ovohydro.com/events
• SEC Centre (Finnieston): The Creative Craft Show and Simply Christmas both run until Sun 25 Oct, and Koyo Con is on Sat 24 Oct. ELO Again plays the SEC Armadillo on Fri 23. → sec.co.uk/whats-on
• Kelvingrove (West End, free): Mon–Thu & Sat 10am–5pm, Fri & Sun 11am–5pm. Free family drop-in "Discover" sessions (ages 5–12) on Sat 24 & Sat 31 Oct, 1.30–4pm. Cloakroom is £2, cash only.
• Riverside Museum (Partick, free): weekend family drop-ins 1.30–4pm. Mini Museum Explorers for 3–5s on Thu 29 Oct, 11am–noon & 1–2pm.
• 42nd Street (GLOC) at the King's Theatre, until Sat 24 Oct. → atgtickets.com/whats-on/glasgow

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🌤️ Dry Plan (Thu 29–Sun 1)

• GlasGLOW: Zombie Zoo: see Big Five. The Halloween weekend uses peak pricing from 5.30pm.
• Spooktacular funfair (Clydeside, 225 South Street, G11 6JY): dodgems, waltzers, a big wheel, a ghost train and more. Open Wed–Sun only: Wed–Fri 5–9pm, Sat–Sun noon–4pm & 5–9pm, until Sun 1 Nov. Four-hour unlimited-ride wristbands: £22.50 (over 1.2m), £19 (under 1.2m), £70 family of four. Non-riders £4. → spooktacularglasgow.com
• Burrell Collection (Pollok Country Park, free): Exploring Painting family drop-in, Sat 31 Oct & Sun 1 Nov, 1.30–4pm. Pair it with a crunchy-leaf walk around Pollok Park while the light lasts.
• St Mungo Museum (Cathedral, free): Día de los Muertos papel picado and marigold-flower making, Sun 1 Nov, 2–4pm. Then walk up to the Necropolis for the view (before dusk, around 4.40pm).
• Botanic Gardens grounds: open 7am–dusk, free. Do the River Kelvin walk by daylight, then come back after dark for GlasGLOW.

🚇 Getting About

• Clocks go back: 2am Sun 25 Oct. Sunset is about 5.54pm on Sat 24, about 4.52pm on Sun 25, and about 4.39pm by Halloween. Outdoor plans need to start earlier than you think.
• Sunday Subway: 10am–6.12pm only (Mon–Sat 6.30am–11.40pm). If you're at the Sun 25 Turandot matinee (it finishes around 5.50pm) or Papa Roach at the Hydro on Sun 1 Nov, plan a bus, train or taxi home. Fares start at £1.80 for an adult single, and you can now tap in with contactless.
• Kelvingrove parking is cut back during restoration works. Glasgow Life suggests Bunhouse Road (busy) or public transport: Kelvinhall Subway is about half a mile away.
• Paisley festival nights: there are road closures in the town centre, so take the train.
• Weather warnings: none for Strathclyde when we wrote this. Check the Met Office before you travel on Sat 24–Sun 25.
• Trains: check ScotRail travel updates for weekend engineering works before you set off.

🔎 Off the Beaten Close

Govan Stones: last call for the season. In Govan Old Church, 150 metres from Govan Subway, sits a unique collection of early medieval carved stones (9th–11th century), relics of the Kingdom of Strathclyde. It's free, open daily 11am–4pm, with guided tours from 1pm, and the official site says the season ends 31 October. Indoors, uncrowded, and perfect for a wet Saturday. Access: the entrance has five steps and a mobile ramp, so contact them in advance if you need help getting in.

Kibble Palace, the West End's warm-up room. The Botanic Gardens' A-listed Victorian glasshouse (moved here from Loch Long in 1873) is free and full of tree ferns, carnivorous plants and marble statues. The council lists glasshouse hours as 10am–4.15pm in winter. It's a perfect half-hour thaw before a GlasGLOW slot. The tearoom is open Mon–Sat 10am–4.15pm and Sun 11am–4.15pm.

📅 Plan Ahead

• Celtic Connections 2027 (14–31 January): new shows go on sale every Thursday in October, so today and 29 Oct. Under-26s can join New Roots for £1 and get up to 50% off selected shows. → celticconnections.com
• Bonfire Night: no Glasgow Green display has been confirmed for this year. GHA Rugby Club's Southside display is on Thu 5 Nov at Braidholm Road, Giffnock: gates 6pm, fireworks 7.15pm. There's no parking, so wear wellies and take public transport. → gharugby.co.uk/event/gha-fireworks-2026
• Kelvin Hall turns 10: a free Family Fun Day on Sat 7 Nov, 1–4pm, with a pre-5s zone.
• More Kevin Bridges at the Hydro: 3, 4, 15, 17, 25 & 26 Nov.

💌 Pass It On

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Haste ye back, whatever the weather.
— The Dear Green Compass

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