May Day Celebrations take shape!

In this weekend's Morning Star there is a preview of some of the next two weeks activities, which you can link to here. The programme is shaping up to be one of the most interesting for some years, although I am probably too close to the original Mayfest to accept the Star's adoption of it for the preview's title!

Obviously one of the highlights is The Great MayDay Cabaret - the second Glasgow version of which is scheduled for Monday May 5 in Glasgow's Oran Mor (tickets still available over the bar for £13 and (+ a booking fee) on line at www.oran.mor. 

There are also healthy looking new shoots at Dumfries (Friday May 2)-tickets (£6/5) from Ian @ 01556 650459 and at Blantyre (Saturday May 3)-tickets (£5) from South Lanarks. TUC on 01698 454690.

Rab Noakes

Eleanor Morton

Starring in Glasgow is last year's headliner, Mark Thomas, and well-known singer-songwriter, Rab Noakes will be appearing at all three events, as will last year's hit, Marxist magician Ian Saville. Comedians Bruce, and Eleanor Morton (no relation, and catch her before she becomes famous!), moothie maestro Fraser Speirs, and political song guru, Arthur Johnstone round off the final (Glasgow) show.


Of course the MayDay marches and rallies are scheduled across Scotland, with the biggest in Glasgow on the 4 May. The main speaker will be author and commentator, Owen Jones. The march assembles in George Square at 11.30 with a collection for food banks in Glasgow. It rallies in the O2 Academy.

Elsewhere there is a book launch for a new print of From the Calton to Catalonia, a fundraising comedy afternoon for Scottish Left Review, a social for Cuba and an appreciation of UCS cartoonist and author, Bob Starret. The full programme can be found on the Glasgow Friends of MayDay website, here. Hope to see you at Oran Mor on the 5!

MayDay Festival broadens coverage

This year's festive activity around MayDay is showing a increasing coverage and has been gathered/organised by Glasgow Friends of MayDay (GFoMD) into the programme shown here. It is particularly welcome to see that a number of organisations are beginning to target MayDay (and surrounding dates), for their activity. Everything looks interesting and entertaining, but at the risk of offending some, I'd like to draw your attention to four specific events.

Firstly, the MayDay Concert organised by GFoMD, on Friday 4 May 7.30pm in the Community Central Hall, in Maryhill Road. Comedy, Music and Poetry as Bruce Morton, Eleanor Morton, Arthur Johnstone, Dave Anderson, Marc Livingstone and Tom Leonard, help us celebrate the International Workers' Festival. Tickets £8/£6 from here.

Secondly, the first showing in Scotland of a film made by Ken Loach in 1969! This was a film commissioned by Save the Children, but when the charity saw what Ken had produced they refused to release it! Time mellows even injured charitable feelings and the film was shown in London last year to mark Loach's 75 Birthday. By all accounts it is a remarkable film! It is on at the GFT on Saturday 5 May at 4.40pm. Tickets from the GFT.

Thirdly, the Northern Soul night on the evening (8.00pm) of Saturday 5 May at the STUC Centre. Being organised by the Glasgow Trades Union Council, this is a repeat of the hugely successful night of last year.  The DJs are ready, the venue is primed, get your butts along to dance into Mayday! Tickets on the door (£5).

And, of course, the pinnacle of the celebrations is the Glasgow MayDay March and Rally itself. It starts from George Square at 11.00am, but that is the last thing that is similar to previous years! This year the Rally will take place at the prestigious Royal Concert Hall, and the main speaker is author Owen Jones, whose book Chavs, about the way traditional working class communities have been denigrated, abused and 'demonized' by the UK's ruling elites, has made a significant impact.

Many other events also feature in this year's programme. Everyone should be able to find something to mark the festival in an entertaining way!

Copies of the programme, illustrated here, are available digitally from me. If anyone wants artwork for printing from, I can also supply that. Unfortunately we don't have the resources to print multiple copies ourselves.