Everything you need to know about this year's Merchant City Festival

This year's Merchant City Festival is set to offer a weekend full of entertainment.

The popular cultural celebration will run from July 19 to 21 featuring a variety of performers including outdoor arts, musicians, circus and dance acts.

Managed by Glasgow Life, the charity spearheading culture and sports initiatives in Glasgow, the festival offers a range of free family-friendly fun.

Themed 'Fair: Play', the focus for this year is to celebrate the city's 'Fair Fortnight', the traditional holiday when Glaswegians relax and have fun.

On July 20 and 21, Merchant Square will host free family days from 11am until 5pm featuring family ceilidhs, Bebop Bairns discos, dancers, puppet shows and characters like the multicoloured Prom Pom Queen.

(Image: Rob Casey for Glasgow Life)

The festival markets will make a much-awaited return, presenting craft, farmers’ and gift markets, and food stalls.

For the first time, Merchant Square will host nightly musical entertainment throughout the festival.

The schedule kicks off with a ceilidh, followed by two band performances, and then a DJ to keep the energy buzzing until midnight.

There will be folk, roots and world music on Friday night, brought to the stage by Glasgow's renowned Celtic Connections festival.

The music line-up for Saturday night includes Glasgow Pride, with a Queer-led programme featuring Megan Black.

The final festival evening showcases performances by Awkward Family Portraits and The Shivering Sheiks.

To see the full programme and timings, go to https://tinyurl.com/2tybdk4f.

Several streets within the Merchant City area will be closed to traffic during the festival to ensure visitor safety, with restrictions on vehicle waiting, loading and unloading from 3pm on Thursday, July 18, until 11.59pm on Sunday, July 21, in Hutcheson Street, Brunswick Street, Bell Street (between Candleriggs and Walls Street), Candleriggs, Garth Street, Wilson Street (between Glassford Street and Candleriggs) and Albion Street (between Blackfriars Street and Trongate).

Billy Garrett, director of Culture, Tourism and Events at Glasgow Life, said: "The Merchant City Festival is a core and popular part of Glasgow’s Summer of Events programme.

"The diversity, scale and quality of the programme for this year’s festival will definitely create another wonderful weekend of entertainment in Glasgow’s city centre."

Julie Edwin, of Merchant Square, said: "There will be lots going on in Merchant Square including exciting family-friendly performances, programmed in partnership with Imaginate/Edinburgh International Children’s Festival.

"It's an exciting time for Merchant Square and the Merchant City with new restaurants such as Sano joining our already popular line-up, and a refreshed events programme bringing new energy to the district.”

Ben McLeod, general manager at The Social Hub Glasgow, said: “The Social Hub is proud to sponsor and partner with the Merchant City Festival to help deliver what is a highlight of Glasgow’s fantastic calendar of cultural events.

"The entertainment line-up at this year’s event has something for all the family and we cannot wait to welcome visitors to The Social Hub for some special performances."