It's summer, the weather is getting warmer and it's July so, for Glaswegians, that can only mean one thing.
Glasgow Fair is on its way, once a major event in most Glaswegian's calendars, the Fair Fortnight saw thousands heading off on their holidays.
Once that meant heading “doon the watter” to the coastal towns of Ayr, Wemyss Bay, Dunoon, Saltcoats and Stevenston, to the islands of Arran or Bute, as well as heading up the east coast to places like Arbroath and Aberdeen.
Nowadays though, you're more likely (or you were in the pre-pandemic and Brexit years) to be heading abroad for sunnier climes.
But what is the Glasgow Fair Fortnight and why does the city celebrate it?
July
Every summer, the Glasgow Fair Fortnight usually starts around the middle of July.
Even now the first Monday of the fortnight, usually in the middle of the month, is still considered a public holiday.
When is it in 2022?
This year, the Glasgow Fair falls on Monday, July 18.
When did it start?
The Fair reportedly dates way back to the 12th century when one of the city's planners, a Bishop Jocelin, asked the then Scottish King, William I 'The Lion', if the area could hold a fair.
This then saw eight days of markets and celebrations in the grounds of Glasgow Cathedral where horses and cattle were traded.
Over the centuries, the annual celebration became more formalised and 'The Fair' was born.
By the late 19th century it marked the start of two-week celebrations with market festivities taking place on Glasgow Green. The fair attracted huge crowds including entertainers who wanted to make the most of the large crowds.
Impressively, in 1912, the Glasgow Fair included a simulated railway journey that took people through Japan and back to Scotland.
The annual Glaswegian holiday continued right through to the 1950s and 1960s and was honoured by local businesses giving their employees time off and the phrase 'doon the watter' soon being coined.
This saw thousands leave the city to head down the coast to Ayrshire seaside and the islands beyond.
Is it still celebrated?
Some more traditional families and family firms in the city still adhere to the dates as the ideal time to take holidays but modern living and the changes in many people's circumstances and the adoption of annual leave have led to less of an emphasis on The Fair.
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