Feature
moved to the SEC.
Cherry adds: “The IRN-
BRU Carnival has become
a Glasgow institution and
a family tradition over
the years. Going into our
centenary year, it was
important that the Carnival
celebrated the people who
have kept it open all these
years and the memories the
funfair has created.
“For the 100th event
we created a special Hall
of Memories exhibition,
showcasing old Carnival
memorabilia, exhibits,
photographs and footage
which allowed visitors to
travel back to the early
years and understand the
journey of the Carnival
from 1919 until now. We also
incorporated our visitors’
own Carnival memories and
showcased these within the
exhibition.”
This year was the largest
IRN-BRU Carnival event
ever organised, with more
than 65 rides, stalls and
attractions, as well as the
new Star Flyer outside the
main building.
Cherry explains he is
incredibly proud of the
event’s history: “It is an
incredible achievement to
celebrate 100 years of the
Carnival. To put it into
numbers, the Carnival has
lived through 25 prime
ministers. It has seen
the invention of the jet
engine, helicopters, the
internet, computers and
smartphones, and all the
while remained a firm
festive tradition.
Our visitor numbers show
how much of an impact the
funfair has on the people
of Glasgow and we are
50 — February
Over the last
100 years
18.5 million visitors
Visitors have go on
94,239,396 rides
2.3 million ducks hooked
3.6 million sticks of
Candyfloss (From her
to New York and half
way back!)
The top rides are the
Waltzers, Speed Buzz,
Top Star, the Dodgems
and The Twist.
“It’s basically an indoor Winter Wonderland
– it is huge, less the rain. You can’t help but
get a little bit overexcited when you first
walk into the show (Like an big-kid). It’s
dazzlingly bright with noisy rides whirling
and whizzing around. ”
honoured to have offered
the city a place to enjoy the
thrill of the Carnival and
the inhabitants to spend
time with their families over
the years. The Carnival has
given 100 years of incredible
memories to our visitors
and we hope people can
continue to make even more
memories here over the next
100 years.”
Cherry admits that this
formula could be replicated
anywhere in Britain and
is a great way to generate
valuable revenue during
venue downtime.