To be fair to Glasgow Life, the crowd photo being used in this year’s promo for the Worlds is the 2024 stand. It had had two blocks (A and B) with six rows of seating in each block, writes Iain Duncan
The ‘Country Fair’ covered trailer stand aberration (pictured below) only ever made one appearance, in 2023, had only two blocks, A and B, and from memory had only five rows of seating in each block.
Looking back, 1998 saw the introduction of some modest free seating; the G1 competing arena was to the south side the Glasgow Green, beside the River Clyde.
2000 saw the G1 arena move from the river’s edge to the middle area of the Green and with it, for the first time, seating now on three sides of the arena, about one half of the total perimeter and still free.
2005 was the year that Glasgow City Council introduced a charge for G1 (general) seating and set-up a box-office stall, conveniently outside the Grade 1 Arena. Pay-for seating was here to stay.
The Grade 1 arena with wooden seating was moved from the centre of Glasgow Green in 2006. The new location to the north-east of the Green the following year saw the first appearance of the impressive three block stand, blocks A, B and C, with eleven rows of seating in each block. This arrangement was used continuously with its last appearance in 2022.
2025 will see another change; a return to three blocks and each block will have nine rows of seating, so this is approaching the configuration of the stand introduced in 2007. The past two years the stand seating has sold out within 24 hours; unprecedented!
- The Editor writes….Thank you for pointing out our error Iain. Worlds tickets here.
Worlds Prices
I am not surprised at the concerns about ticket prices at the Worlds and the treatment of those wanting to attend, writes Alasdair MacGregor. Not being able to bring in a picnic or a bottle of water is beyond belief but on reflection it is designed to drive folk to the exorbitant food and drink venues. l haven’t attended since 2015 put off by the price, poor acoustics, parking challenges and this may be controversial an event that had become too big to enjoy.
Contrast that with Highland Games. Most are priced at less than a tenner run by welcoming volunteers. Most have a pipe band there and you can see piping from the kids up to those at the very top competing all over Scotland from May to September. You can sit and have your picnic and your own drink and if you want to eat at the stalls many games now have local produce – a welcome change from overpriced burnt burgers.
For me there is no contest between the Mull Games listening to the Oban High School Pipe Band, the Mull Pipe Band and a feast of solo pipers in the atmospheric Erray Park in Tobermory and the alternative rip-off of the Worlds at Glasgow Green in August.
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