Hydro to host Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

The Hydro will host the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow this summer, with organisers promising a “Clyde-built experience for the world”.

Around 700 volunteer cast members will be recruited for the event on 23 July, with dancers, theatre performers, musicians and “all-round performers” all being invited to apply, external before the 24 April deadline.

The ceremony will be the first at a Games to be staged in an arena rather than a outdoor stadium and is “being designed to be experienced, not observed”, says Louisa Mahon, Glasgow 2026’s ceremonies creative lead.

She will oversee a team including show and staging director Roxana Cole, choreographer Emily-Jane Boyle and costume designer Carole Millar.

“We’re working with some incredible female creatives to build a ceremony that’s bold, unmistakably Glasgow and unlike anything the Commonwealth Games has produced before,” Mahon adds.

The minimum volunteer age is 16, no previous is experience required, and “passionate people from all backgrounds” are encouraged to apply to “showcase the city’s local communities and cultures”.

The 24 April deadline could be brought forward if demand is high, with auditions being held in Glasgow on 9-10 May.

Glasgow 2026 will run from 23 July to 2 August, with more than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories competing across 10 sports and six Para sports.

When the Games was last held in the city in 2014, the opening ceremony was held at Celtic Park.