IN 1988, millions of visitors flocked to Glasgow’s Garden Festival as one part of the city was transformed between April and September.
About 120 acres of Govan became a hub of attractions, from a miniature railway to a swing bridge, as the only such festival in Scotland brought the city attention from far and wide.
Many locals made the most of the entertainment on their doorstep but few could claim, as Douglas Mickel could, to have been at the last such event held in the city – and still have the ticket to prove it.
Mr Mickel here shows off his season tickets for the Garden Festival and the Empire Exhibition staged exactly 50 years before in Bellahouston Park.
Half a century on, the aims of both extravaganzas were similar – the Empire Exhibition was about helping the economy after years of depression, while the benefits of the Garden Festival also gave the city a boost.
The Palace of Art survives from 1938 and the Garden Festival site now hosts the Millennium Tower, reminding those who were there of a memorable day out.

 

Glasgow Times:

But for the styles, this image could come from almost any day this summer! This picture was taken in 1982, though, on the day Govan market opened, and in time honoured fashion, when youngsters had to wait for mum, they find fun where they can