Strip of the Willow along Sauchiehall Street to celebrate Glasgow 850

To celebrate 850 years of the city Glaswegians have united in force along Sauchiehall Street to dance the Strip of the Willow.

Initially scheduled to take place on the 25 January the event was postponed due to the storm.

The dance was MC’d by a traditional music student from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, while two Highland Dancers were also in attendance performing to the crowd alongside pipers from the National Piping Centre.

Around 100 people turned out for the dance which featured a traditional ceilidh on a recently reopened strip of Sauchiehall Street.

Dancing forms a large part of the street’s heritage - hosting the much loved Locarno Ball Room for many years, to the many dance halls, music venues and nightclubs which have contributed integrally to Glasgow’s social culture.

Sauchiehall Street gets its name from the Scots language, meaning “Willow Meadow” which refers to its past when it was a moorland lined with willow trees.

The project is intended to initiate conversation about the street’s vibrant history and future renewal.