Glasgow neighbourhood ranked eighth coolest in the world

A neighbourhood in the east end of Glasgow has been named eighth coolest in the world in Time Out’s annual survey.

Dennistoun is the only UK neighbourhood to make the top 20.

More than 38,000 residents of cities across the world were surveyed for the list, questioned on where they most loved spending time around their city.

This year, Time Out factored in community spirit as well as food, drink, nightlife and independent culture in compiling the rankings of the 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world.

Dennistoun was described as a “secluded island in Glasgow’s East End”, with an influx of students having altered the demographic of the historically working-class neighbourhood in the past decade.

Said to have a “sense of independence unlike any other corner of this city”, community initiatives including the Zero Waste Market – a refill grocery shop which prepared food boxes during lockdown – and Alexandra Park’s Food Forest were praised, along with coffee shops, pubs and an art gallery.

Barcelona’s Esquerra de l’Eixample was named the coolest neighbourhood in the world.

It was said to have shown “incredible community spirit” in 2020, organising events such as the Hidrogel Sessions, in which neighbours coordinated mass dance parties on their balconies during lockdown.

Its community-run Espai Germanetes garden and independent businesses such as Odd Kiosk – the world’s first LGBTQ+ magazine kiosk – were also highlighted.

Downtown LA took second place, followed by Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong.

Dublin’s Phibsboro came 27th on the list while Soho, London, was 31st.

James Manning, international editor of Time Out, said: “Glasgow is a fantastic city with cutting-edge culture and nightlife, and right now Dennistoun is at the cutting edge of the city’s cool, with independents popping up and artists brightening up the winding streets.

“We were really blown away by the amazing initiatives that businesses and locals started at the beginning of the pandemic – it showed there was real heart in the neighbourhood.”

He added: “With global travel in disarray, this year our annual list of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods is less about planning your next trip and more about celebrating the hotspots that are pointing the way forward for city life.

“In tough times, neighbourhoods are more important than ever – and these are places where the soul of the city is on full display, thanks to independent businesses, local culture and community initiatives.

“Consider this list a worldwide shout-out to the strength, spirit and resilience of city-dwellers.”