UK AIDS Memorial Quilt opens free at Glasgow Tramway

Name: UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
Start: 2026-09-12T12:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-10-04T17:00:00+01:00
Location: Tramway

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-09-09 11:23 3 min read

Close up detail of a colorful stitched textile panel for an exhibition.

Hundreds of hand-stitched memorial panels will fill Tramway when the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is exhibited in full in Scotland for the first time. The free exhibition runs from Saturday 12 September to Sunday 4 October 2026 at 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow, opening at noon on exhibition days. It is a drop-in event for the general public, and no ticket is required.

According to Glasgow Life’s event listing, the Quilt will be shown alongside archival material tracing the project’s Scottish roots and the documentary film There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. A preview is also scheduled for Friday 11 September from 7pm to 9pm.

More than 600 lives remembered in 335 panels

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt represents more than 600 people who died from HIV and AIDS in the UK. Its 335 individual panels were created by people remembering friends, relatives and loved ones, preserving details of lives that were often obscured by the stigma surrounding AIDS.

Most panels measure 3ft by 6ft, reflecting the dimensions of a typical grave plot. They were joined into larger 12ft-square blocks, allowing the work to convey the scale of the loss while retaining the names, interests and personal histories commemorated by individual makers.

UK AIDS Memorial Quilt opens free at Glasgow Tramway

The wider memorial quilt project began in the United States in 1985, led by activist Cleve Jones. Scottish activist Ally Van Tillo began coordinating the UK Quilt in the late 1980s as related projects developed internationally.

Public displays gave the Quilt several connected purposes: remembrance of those who died, protest against institutional inaction and a visible rejection of the idea that people affected by AIDS should remain unnamed. Seven UK HIV support charities formed the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Partnership in 2014 to conserve and display it.

Scottish archives and film accompany the Quilt

The Tramway presentation places the complete Quilt beside archival material documenting Scotland’s connection to its development. The inclusion of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out adds a documentary element to the exhibition, although Glasgow Life does not list a separate screening time or booking requirement for the film.

The historical material also connects the memorial to the continuing effects of HIV and AIDS. Glasgow Life’s exhibition text notes that medical advances have transformed HIV treatment, while stigma, inequality and uneven access to treatment and prevention remain barriers in the UK and elsewhere.

Opening times during the Glasgow exhibition

Day	Exhibition hours
Wednesday to Friday	12pm–5pm
Saturday	12pm–6pm
Sunday	12pm–5pm

The exhibition is not listed as open on Mondays or Tuesdays. Visitors planning a particular date should use these Tramway opening hours rather than treating the event’s overall date range as daily opening.

Access, refreshments and arrival details

Tramway has level access to all its spaces and café, with lifts serving upper areas. Accessible toilets with handrails and emergency pull cords are available on all three levels, assistance dogs are welcome, and large-print or Braille programme material can be requested. Baby-changing facilities are on the ground floor, and breastfeeding is welcome.

The café provides counter ordering, with food and drinks brought to the table. Free Wi-Fi is available after registration.

Parking is limited to on-street spaces. Tramway has no cloakroom or bag-storage service; bag searches may operate during busy events, and bags larger than A3 size may not be admitted.

Source: Glasgow Life Events

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Event dates, opening hours, admission terms and venue access details were checked against Glasgow Life’s published listing.

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