Glasgow Summer Sessions get go ahead despite local concerns over rising number of gigs

Glasgow’s Summer Sessions in Bellahouston Park will go ahead despite community concerns over the rising number of gigs and their impact.

Six concerts are being held between June 27 and July 4 — two more than in 2025 — with Alanis Morissette and My Chemical Romance among those set to perform.

Locals have reported damage to the park, traffic disruption and noise nuisance in previous years, leading Craigton Community Council and Cllr Jon Molyneux to object to DF Concerts’ licence bid.

The organisers secured a temporary entertainment licence from Glasgow City Council, allowing the concerts to go ahead, after assuring councillors they “remain committed to learning lessons”.

Sheila Yuill, from the community council, said: “I’m not saying DF haven’t tried, they have. But what they’ve done is not good enough, they need to take some responsibility.”

She said cherry trees in the park had been damaged last year and “razor sharp” metal was left behind. “Craigton Community Council are fed up having to nursemaid DF Concerts.

“Glasgow does need the money from the concerts, but at what cost?”

Ms Yuill added: “It’s not just the eight days for concerts, because we’ve got the build and we’ve got the de-rig. It’s actually a month, three weeks are part of the summer holidays.

“Half of the summer holidays for our children, we don’t get that side of the park.”

Cllr Molyneux, Greens, whose ward includes Bellahouston, said it was the first time he had objected to the Summer Sessions application.

He suggested DF Concerts’ engagement with communities had “not adequately satisfied” their expectations. Some residents are “effectively trapped” in their homes due to traffic, he said, while extra, targeted noise mitigation is needed.

Cllr Molyneux said people who are neurodivergent, or have PTSD, need to be considered. He is aware of one individual who has “left his home for a long weekend because that’s the way he can escape the noise”.

Stephen McGowan, the licensing lawyer representing DF Concerts, said the company delivers over 10,000 leaflets to people in the area, and is introducing WhatsApp alerts.

“Our view is that this is a proportionate series of events,” he added. “It reflects the fact that the Summer Sessions is not a one dimensional brand. The artists who are coming are very different artists.”

Mr McGowan said the cherry trees are “located in a designated exclusion zone”, and DF Concerts takes environmental concerns “very seriously”.

A full environment plan is in place that “covers granular detail”, he added. “It isn’t an afterthought, and they are always willing to learn.”

“DF Concerts remain committed to learn lessons, to improve on an ongoing basis,” he said, adding: “The Bellahouston Summer Sessions is a fantastic, integral part of Glasgow’s reputation as a live music destination.”

Katt Lingard, from DF Concerts, said the traffic operator had pulled out 10 days before last year’s events.

“We don’t shy away from accepting when things haven’t gone right, and we don’t wait to make adjustments until the following year,” she added. “We do as much as we can in real time.”

The city’s licensing committee granted the licence, however Cllr Sean Ferguson, SNP, recorded his dissent.