Full 2026 GDODF Talks Programme at the ARC Festival Hub & Around the City

Festival Hub Location: ARC, University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow, G11 6EW

Our GDODF Festival Talks Programme returns this year, taking place at our main Festival Hub in the ARC, University of Glasgow, from 18–20 September, with additional talks happening around the city.

Inspired by this year’s theme, Glasgow Goes Out: The Places That Made Us, the programme explores the venues, streets, buildings, shared spaces and interiors that have shaped the city’s social and cultural life.

Looking beyond architecture alone, these talks uncover stories of community, memory and belonging, revealing the remarkable places, people and lost worlds that continue to define the city.

Talks Happening at Our Festival Hub at the ARC

'Ye dancin'? Talk with Lost Glasgow - Book here

‍Friday 18 September: 1815 - 1915

Join Norry Wilson of Lost Glasgow as he takes audiences on an illustrated waltz through the city’s lost and forgotten dancehalls, nightclubs and discos.

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‍‍Art Deco Days with Jackie Sangster - Book here

‍Saturday 19 September: 1300 - 1415

Jackie Sangster will explore all things Deco, with a strong focus on Glasgow and highlights from across Scotland -from modern buildings and stylish lidos to streamlined transport, cinema-going and a final visit to The Empire Exhibition of 1938, perhaps the epitome of the era? Join conservation architect

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‍Mothballed Masterpiece: The Past and Future of St Vincent Street Church with Fiona Sinclair - Book here

‍Sunday 20 September: 1100 - 1200

Conservation architect Fiona Sinclair shines a spotlight on Alexander ‘Greek’ Thompson’s masterpiece, St Vincent Street Church.

Talks Happening Around The City

Pub Typology Talk at the Laurieston Bar with Dress For The Weather - Book here

Sunday 20 September: 12:30 -13:30

There will also be a Pub Typology Talk hosted by Dress for the Weather at The Laurieston Bar on Sunday 20 September. Linking to this year’s theme, Glasgow Goes Out: The Places That Made Us, this talk will explore the city’s history through its pubs, tracing pub design from pre-Victorian inns to present-day venues, with case studies including The Scotia Bar, The Horse Shoe Bar, The Steps Bar, The Laurieston, Bar Ten and Drygate.

Address: Laurieston Bar, 58 Bridge Street, Glasgow G5 9HU

Going out to the Pictures on Sauchiehall Street: A History of Glasgow's Cinema Buildings - Book here

Saturday 19th Sept 2026: 10:00am

"For here in Glasgow is every type of cinema - from the largest in Europe to the smallest in the British Isles. And in Glasgow every kind of cinema experiment is being made…” – Film Weekly, 1931

Gordon Barr and Gary Painter of ScottishCinemas.org take you on a virtual saunter up the full length of Sauchiehall Street to present an illustrated feature covering the immense range of Glasgow’s cinema history, from converted roller-skating rinks to the finest 1930s art deco super-cinemas. The talk will cover cinemas that were, cinemas that are, and cinemas that might have been.

Address: Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose St, Glasgow G3 6RB

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‍GBPT Fundraising Talks

For 2026, we are introducing a new strand of fundraising talks, giving our audiences the chance to support Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival while discovering more about the city’s rich social and cultural heritage.

Hosted by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust at the Festival Hub in the ARC, University of Glasgow, these three special fundraising events will help us raise vital funds to secure the festival’s future.

Tickets are £11.70 each, with all proceeds after transaction fees going directly to GBPT, a Registered Scottish Charity (SC015443) and proud organiser of the festivalfor the last 37 years. Your support will directly help keep Scotland’s largest free community and heritage festival free, accessible and thriving for years to come.

On Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September, archaeologist and historian Judith Bowers will host two special talks exploring Glasgow’s theatre and entertainment history and the city’s historic pubs:

The Historic Pubs of Glasgow Fundraising Talk with Judith Bowers - Book here
Friday 18 September: 16:45 - 17:45 £11.70 per ticket

Glasgow's Theatre & Entertainment History Fundraising Talk with Judith Bowers - Book here
Saturday 19 September: 15:00 -16:00 £11.70 per ticket

On Sunday 20 September, Norry Wilson of Lost Glasgow hosts an in-conversation event with acclaimed Scottish artist Thomas McGoran, exploring Thomas’s life, creative journey, artistic influences and reflections on Glasgow.

Lost Glasgow In Conversation with Artist Thomas McGoran Fundraising Talk + Book Signing - Book here
Sunday 20 September: 13:00 -14:00 £11.70 per ticket