Irish music festival at Glasgow Green becomes latest major summer cancellation due to “unprecedented challenges”
An Irish music festival held at Glasgow Green in Scotland has been cancelled just weeks before being due to take place.
The two-day event, called GlasGael, was due to take place in a 5,000-capacity Big Top tent on May 2nd and May 3rd in the major Scottish city.
The line-up included prominent names from the Celtic musical community, including The High Kings, Derek Ryan, The Tumbling Paddies, Sharon Shannon, and The Whistlin’ Donkeys.
In a statement, organisers told ticket-holders, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the postponement of GlasGael 2026 until next year, 2027.”
Explaining the reasoning for the cancellation, they added, Since we launched GlasGael, the global landscape has shifted in ways that have fundamentally impacted our financial model. The combination of current geopolitical turmoil, increased costs in the industry, and the ongoing cost of living crisis has created unprecedented challenges.”
GlasGael organisers mournfully added, “Over the past few weeks, several of our long-term contractors and suppliers have been forced to increase their rates. We fully understand their situation, but these cumulative costs mean we can no longer deliver the event at the scale and quality you deserve in 2026.”
They also apologised to fans, stating they are “deeply sorry for the disappointment this causes and thank you for your incredible support” and promised to refund tickets within ten working days.
GlasGael is just one of many festivals that are not going ahead in 2026, with London’s Wide Awake, headlined by Kneecap in 2025, also taking a hiatus for this summer. Live at Leeds in the Park and Live at Leeds in the City are also both taking breaks in 2026.
Additionally, Lido Festival, which takes place in Victoria Park, London, cancelled Bombay Bicycle Club and CMAT’s headline sets, while also rescheduling Maribou State’s headline performance to late August.
The festival said of the decision to cancel the events, “Protecting the condition of Victoria Park is of paramount importance to LIDO and LBTH. Last summer’s drought led to well‑reported dust issues, but the extensive reseeding and improvement programme delivered by AEG has been highly successful, and the park is now in great condition for everyday community use, unhindered and fully open to local residents and visitors to LBTH.”
However, despite the successful regrowth, a June event would be too early in the calendar year to test the green area again, according to organisers, who added, “Following one of the wettest winters in recent history, our advisors recommended giving these newly improved areas a little more time before starting the festival programme.”
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