Mark the dates: Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 May. The Creatives of Colour Festival is back in Glasgow for four days of poetry, music, film, workshops and conversation — and the good news is most of it is free.

The festival spreads itself across some lovely corners of the city rather than parking in one venue. Expect to find events at Jim's Bar in Queen Margaret Union, Glad Cafe in Shawlands, Civic House up by Speirs Wharf, Woodlands Community, and Gathering Ground. Tickets and full listings are on the Creatives of Colour Eventbrite page — search "Creatives of Colour Festival 2026" and you'll find the lot.

What's on, day by day

Things kick off on Thursday 7 May at 7pm with an Opening Night of Poetry & Spoken Word at Jim's Bar, QMU — a free, ticketed evening that has become the festival's signature opener. It's the warm, welcoming way in if you're new to the festival and not sure where to start.

Friday 8 May has the broadest spread. At 2pm there's a free afternoon workshop at Woodlands Community, Participatory Design for Just and Liberatory Futures — a mouthful of a title, but in practice an accessible session about how communities can shape the spaces they live in. Then at 7.30pm the festival decamps to the Glad Cafe in Shawlands for the Festival Gig, a sliding-scale ticket (pay what you can, over-18s only) that's typically the most-talked-about night of the weekend.

Saturday 9 May is the workshop-heavy day, and it all happens at Civic House. Get out of bed for Formal Rebellion at 11am, then a hands-on Building Depth & Realism with Graphite and Charcoal session at 2pm — bring a sketchbook, leave with something you didn't think you could draw. The Festival Market runs across the afternoon, with stalls from BIPOC makers, illustrators and small presses. The day rounds off at 7pm with the Festival Film Screening & Panel Discussion: a screening of Khartoum (2025) followed by a conversation with film scholars Umloda Ibrahim and Zahra Khosroshahi.

Sunday 10 May winds down gently at Gathering Ground. Beginners' Vinyasa Flow Yoga at 11.30am is exactly what it says on the mat — a session pitched at people who've never tried it. At 2pm, the festival closes with Listening Songs, a quietly lovely workshop built around shared music and the stories behind it.

Why it's worth your time

The Creatives of Colour Festival exists to platform BIPOC artists across Glasgow — writers, musicians, filmmakers, designers, illustrators — and to do so without the corporate gloss that gets slapped on so many "diversity" events. It's run by Creatives of Colour CIC in partnership with Creative Glasgow, and it's backed by the University of Glasgow's School of Culture & Creative Arts, the Ferguson Bequest, and the Thinking Culture programme.

The format is the festival's quiet strength. Rather than one big ticketed evening, you get an unhurried weekend that invites you to drop in to one workshop, or do the full four days. The free-or-sliding-scale pricing means cost isn't a barrier, and the venues — small, neighbourhood, friendly — make it easy to actually meet people.

How to book

Almost everything is free but ticketed, so book ahead at eventbrite.co.uk (search "Creatives of Colour Festival 2026"). The Friday gig at Glad Cafe is sliding-scale and bookable through thegladcafe.co.uk. For the full festival overview and venue list, see creativesofcolour.co.uk/creatives-of-colour-festival-2026.

Bring a friend. Bring a sketchbook. Bring an open Saturday afternoon. This is What's On at its best.