Take Me Somewhere is an international, biennial festival and year-round sector support organisation that exists to position Scotland as the place to create and EXPERIENCE radical performance.

Building on the legacy of The Arches arts venue, following its closure in 2015, Take Me Somewhere provides a crucial support structure and platform for Scotland’s most vital artists, and showcases some of the world’s most cutting-edge contemporary performance makers.

The Festival:

Take Me Somewhere pulsates across the city every two years, bringing transformative performance into theatres, churches, nightclubs, gardens, and unexpected places in between.

At the heart of the festival is a desire to connect people, ideas, and possibilities, and create a space for personal and political transformation. We centre diverse voices that speak to the complexities of our globalised world and invite audiences to join us in imagining what a future somewhere could be.

Previous editions have featured genre-defying artists, packed houses, and critical acclaim, with audiences drawn to the festival’s energy, experimentation, and intimacy.

After our 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19, we returned in 2021 with a fully digital programme: streamed performances, interactive Zoom encounters, and audio works that reached audiences across the globe.

Take Me Somewhere is led by Artistic Director LJ Findlay-Walsh and Executive Producer Caroline Winn. It was founded in 2017 by Jackie Wylie, now Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland. Both Jackie and LJ were key figures in shaping the artistic programme at The Arches from 2008 to 2015. You can meet the Take Me Somewhere Team here.

See reflections on our previous festivals: 2018 / 2019 / 2021

Our next festival will take place 15–26 October 2025 in venues across Glasgow.

BEYOND THE Festival:

As well as our international, biennial festival, we are also a year-round sector support organisation, a portal for international gaze and global network connector.

From launching the Adrian Howells Award for intimate performance to publishing GRIP (Glasgow's Review of International Performance), we invest in new forms, critical dialogue, and sustainable futures for live art in Scotland and beyond.