Refugee Festival: The Bowling Green Summer Solstice
The Bowling Green and Love Jam Glasgow brought the community together to celebrate the summer solstice and the Refugee Festival Scotland.
By Devon McCole
The summer solstice celebrates the longest day of the year and marks the astrological beginning of summer. This year the summer solstice took place during the Refugee Festival, which celebrates those who have migrated to the country in search for a better life.
The Bowling Green in Pollokshields in partnership with Love Jam Glasgow, brought the community together to celebrate both with live music, a campfire, and lots of free food.
And, despite the typical drizzle and grey skies, the grounds of the green space were teeming with local residents from all walks of life, singing songs, reading poetry, playing football, and roasting marshmallows.
Sarra Wassu, secretary of the Pollokshield’s Trust, said:
“Refugee week is really significant to Pollokshields, especially after the protests that took place on Kenmure Street in 2021. So, last year we hosted the Kenmure Street Festival but this year we are hosting the summer solstice event for the Refugee Festival. We didn’t have the funds for the Kenmure Festival this year but we wanted to bring people together again to continue to celebrate that activism and raise awareness for those who have come a long way and really went through hell and back just to find safety in a land that is foreign to them.”