Culture

The Games left physical legacies and changed the way culture features in major events
A large crowd of people sitting in the Glasgow Green fan zone during the 2014 Commonwealth Games on a sunny evening.

A commitment to culture

The Games featured exciting sporting action, but culture also took centre stage.

Festival 2014 was a cultural celebration which ran alongside the competition at venues across Glasgow.

There was also a nationwide programme called Culture 2014, which happened throughout the year.

The scale of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme was unprecedented. It featured over 3,000 performances and 3,600 exhibition days.

The cultural events attracted around 2.1 million attendances. And 600,000 people took part in cultural activities.

Glasgow 2014 has helped change how culture features in major events in the city.

You can find out more by reading below.

Clyde the Thistle mascot dancing with other performers at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow in front of a large screen which say Festival 2014.

Integrating culture into major sport events

Discover how Glasgow 2014 has changed the way cultural programming is used at international sport events in the city.

Find out more

The Big G

The Big G sculpture was a focal point during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and a selfie hotspot.

Throughout the Games, local people, visitors, and athletes lined up in George Square to get their picture with the sculpture. Its popularity led to the Big G going viral on social media.

The 18-foot structure was an iconic backdrop of the Games and featured heavily in the coverage of Glasgow 2014.

The Big G remains a landmark in the heart of the city after moving to its new home in Glasgow Green.

A visible legacy of the Games

Two people getting their photo taken with the Big G sculpture on a sunny day in George Square during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
People taking pictures with the Big G in George Square.
An aerial view over Glasgow Green, the Big G sculpture and the River Clyde.
The Big G at its new home in Glasgow Green.
Two children running in front of the Big G sculpture in George Square during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Children playing at the Big G sculpture.
The Big G Sculpture in George Square at night lit up during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The Big G lit up at night in George Square during the Games.
Two people taking a selfie on a sunny day in George Square in front of the Big G sculpture.
Two people taking a selfie at the sculpture.
A group of people standing up during a singing for fun session, which is being led by an instructor who is standing in the corner of the room at a piano.

Velocity

Velocity is a cultural initiative which was created as part of Glasgow 2014. Find out more about the cultural legacies delivered by the project.

More about Velocity

Clyde mascot statues

Host City volunteers in front of a Clyde the mascot statue in Glasgow Central Train Station during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The station is busy and has lots of Glasgow 2014 signs hanging from the roof.

A friendly face

Clyde was one of the faces of Glasgow 2014 and popped up throughout the event.

The mascot was hugely popular and met with thousands of school children, athletes and even the Duchess of Cambridge.

Twenty-five fibreglass statues of the cartoon thistle were spread around Glasgow before the Games started.

The life-sized statues made up Clyde’s Trail, which was an instant hit.

Hundreds of thousands of people hunted for the statues and took pictures with them.

The designs for the statues were submitted by school and nursery pupils. They were then produced by local and national artists.

These much-loved statues are another visible legacy of the Games and can still be found in every council ward across the city.

If you visit a Commonwealth Games venue, museum, or library in Glasgow, you’ll likely be greeted with the friendly face of Clyde.

Clyde mascot trail

Three Clyde mascot statues in front of a shop called Clyde's workshop.
The launch of the Clyde mascot trail.
One of the artists who designed some of the Clyde mascot statues standing in the middle of a room full of Clyde statues.
One of the artists, Jude Bomphray who designed some of the Clyde statues.
A room full of differently designed Clyde mascot statues which were part of the Clyde mascot statue trail.
Some of the Clyde statues which now live in venues across Glasgow.