Barrowland Ballroom named Scotland's live venue of the year for a second year running

Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom has once again been crowned the best live venue in Scotland. At the Scottish Live Music Awards, held at Oran Mor's auditorium in March 2026, the East End landmark took home the Live Venue of the Year title for the second year running.

The awards celebrate the best of Scotland's live music scene, and this season attracted more than 150,000 nominations and public votes before finalists were judged by a 40-strong panel of industry experts.

Other winners on the night included The Proclaimers, who received the Legend Award, Callum Beattie as Live Artist of the Year and Brogeal as Folk and Traditional Live Artist of the Year. Several winners spoke about what playing the Barrowland had meant to them, with Calum Bowie, named Indie and Alternative Live Artist of the Year, describing headlining the Barrowlands the year before as incredible.

The full list of winners spread the honours across the country, with Valtos, Loki, Dead Pony, Kirsteen Harvey and Katie Nicoll among the artists recognised, and MacArts named small live venue of the year.

Ross Coutts of Xfire.Live, the company behind the awards, said Scotland has such a strong music scene, and the artists, bands, venues, festivals and individuals recognised are the heartbeat of Scottish live music.

The Barrowland has been part of the city's life since 1921. Its own website proudly quotes Time Out's description of it as the best music venue in the UK, voted for by musicians and artists. Beneath it, the Barras market still opens every weekend from 10am to 4pm.

The ballroom continues to play a central role in new music, too. In October 2026 it was one of the main stages at Tenement Trail, where Glasgow band Baby Strange reformed for one night to headline the venue for the first time, and a second room, Barrowland 2, hosted emerging acts.

For generations of Glaswegians, a gig at the Barrowland is a rite of passage, and this latest award shows that its magic is as strong as ever.

The Barrowland Ballroom is on Gallowgate in Glasgow's East End. Gig listings and Barras market information are at glasgow-barrowland.com.