Explore King Tut’s at Glasgow’s Doors Open Day Festival this September

From King Tut’s legendary stage to Glasgow’s lost nightclubs, this year’s Doors Open Days Festival is taking us back to where the best nights began.

There are certain Glasgow venues that hold far more than memories of a good night out.

The gig you still talk about. The dancefloor you spent every Saturday night on. The pub where everyone knew to meet. The cinema, theatre or music venue that became part of your own personal history of the city.

This September, Glasgow is opening the doors to them again.

The Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival returns from 17th September with perhaps its most nostalgic programme yet – and this year it's all about the places where Glasgow went out.

Under the brilliantly apt theme Glasgow Goes Out: The Places That Made Us, more than 150 venues will take part in hundreds of free events, tours, talks and experiences across the city.

And there are some very familiar names on the list.

Go Backstage at King Tut's

For music fans, this might be the one to book.

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut – the legendary Glasgow venue where Oasis was famously discovered – is opening up areas audiences don't usually get to see.

Exclusive behind-the-scenes tours will give visitors the chance to stand on the famous King Tut's stage, explore the green room and venture into its production spaces, experiencing one of Scotland's most celebrated live music venues from an entirely different perspective.

Considering the roll call of musicians who have passed through its doors, that's quite the backstage pass.

Rediscover Glasgow After Dark

The festival stretches well beyond King Tut's.

SWG3 is also taking visitors behind the scenes, while specialist walks and talks will delve into Glasgow's lost nightclub heritage and the places that once provided the soundtrack to the city's weekends.

The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall – one of Glasgow's great cultural survivors – also joins the programme, alongside tours exploring the dancehalls, theatres, cinemas, pubs and community spaces where generations of Glaswegians met, danced and made memories.

As David Cook, CEO of Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, explains:

“Through this year's theme, we're inviting people to revisit the venues that provided the soundtrack to their lives, rediscover forgotten gems and uncover the stories behind the spaces that have brought generations of Glaswegians together.”

It's Not Just About the Nightlife

While Glasgow Goes Out provides the nostalgic heart of this year's festival, there's plenty to explore beyond the city's entertainment history.

Visitors can step inside the distinctive world of the Timorous Beasties print studio and gain access to buildings normally closed to the public, including Pollok Stables and the Sawmill Living Heritage Centre.

A new mini-festival hub will also arrive at Edward House in partnership with the Sauchiehall Street Heritage & Culture District, while the University of Glasgow's Advanced Research Centre returns as the main festival hub, hosting talks, exhibitions, workshops and family-friendly activities.

And the best bit?

It's all free.

A Love Letter to Glasgow

Doors Open Days has always offered the irresistible opportunity to peek behind doors that are usually firmly closed, but this year's theme adds another layer.

It's as much about the stories inside Glasgow's buildings as the architecture itself.

“The festival is a fantastic opportunity to discover the buildings, places and stories that make our city so special,” says Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life and Convenor for Culture, Sport and International Relations for Glasgow City Council.

And whether your Glasgow nights were spent pressed against the stage at King Tut's, dancing until closing time or somewhere entirely different, there is something rather lovely about returning to the places that helped make them.

Consider this your backstage pass.

The Details

What: Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2026
When: From 17th September 2026
Where: More than 150 venues across Glasgow
Price: Free
Booking opens: 12pm, Wednesday 5th August

The full programme launches online on 5th August, with hundreds of building openings, tours, walks, talks, workshops, performances and events to explore.

And if King Tut's is on your list? We'd be ready at midday.

Find Out More

Remember Your Glasgow Nights Out? Now You Can Go Backstage at the Places That Made Them