Glasgow River Festival Excitement for All

The Glasgow River Festival is a highlight on the family-oriented social events calendar of Scotland’s largest city. Taking place from 19 to 20 July 2008, the Glasgow River Festival offers a host of activities that will keep the entire family busy and entertained during this fun-filled weekend. The opening ceremony of the Glasgow River Festival takes place on the Saturday at 11am, featuring the Loth Lorien schooner sailing up the River Clyde and berthing at the festival site by the Millennium Square.

In and around the SECC, The Tall Ship and the Glasgow Science Center visitors will find plenty of entertainment and activities including live music and dance, street entertainment, funfair rides, lively and colorful performances by the local Chinese community, beach volleyball, a farmer’s market and barbeques. Entry to The Tall Ship is free and a variety of activities, such as face-painting and model boats, will be taking place at the quayside.

Thrilling jet-ski action will be churning up the waters of the River Clyde as riders entertain the crowds with heart-stopping stunts and high-speed racing. Visitors can join in the action with powerboat rides and zapcat sessions. Intrepid adventurers who want to be a zapcat co-pilot for a 15-minute adrenaline pumping ride should book in advance for this very popular activity. Clyde Marine Cruises will be offering passengers the choice of either a 50 minute downriver cruise to view the new Destroyers being built, or a shorter trip to get a close-up view of the boats and ships participating in the Glasgow River Festival.

Visitors can try their hand at the sport of rowing along with seasoned rowers of the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association, the Clydesdale Rowing Club and the Royal West of Scotland Boat Club. Activities will include indoor rowing machine challenges, as well as out on the water. Another popular water sport is dinghy sailing, and visitors to the Glasgow River Festival are invited by the 29th Glasgow Scouts and the Lochgoilhead Center to join them for an exhilarating sailing experience.

The charitable organization, the Variety Club of Scotland, will be releasing 20,000 “adopted” plastic ducks into the River Clyde for the Great Glasgow Duck Race on Sunday 20 July – an event to be enjoyed by the youngsters and the young-at-heart. June Brown (Dot Cotton from BBC’s Eastenders) will be at the launching and visitors can meet June and a host of other well-known entertainment personalities at the Quackers Roadshow near the Glasgow City Inn on both days of the Glasgow River Festival. Be sure to adopt your duck today from www.quackersduckraces.co.uk.