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By the end of November the sun comes up over Glasgow at about 8.20am and sets at ten to four, and on a grey day the whole thing can feel like one long afternoon with the lights on at both ends. That sounds bleak, and on a wet Tuesday it can be. But Glasgow in November is also the city at its least touristy and most itself. The pubs are warm, the first Christmas market stalls go up on St Enoch Square, the pantomimes open, the gig calendar is still full, and hotel rooms are about as cheap as they get outside January.
This guide covers November’s weather in plain numbers, how to use the short days well, what’s on from Bonfire Night to St Andrew’s Day, when the 2026 Christmas markets and pantomimes open, and who November suits and who it doesn’t. Weather figures are Met Office long-term averages for Glasgow. Dates and prices were checked in September 2026, so treat the prices as the right order of magnitude and confirm before you book.
November in Glasgow at a glance
| November 2026 | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Average high / low | 9.3°C / 3.6°C |
| Rainfall | About 145mm, falling on roughly 18 days |
| Sunshine | About 58 hours across the month, which is under two hours a day |
| Daylight | 9¼ hours on 1 November, under 7½ hours by the 30th |
| Sunrise / sunset | 7.23am / 4.38pm on 1 November; 8.21am / 3.50pm on the 30th |
| Bonfire Night | Thursday 5 November |
| Christmas markets | St Enoch Square from Friday 6 November; Glasgow Green from Friday 20 November |
| Pantomimes open | From 18 November (the Tron) to 28 November (the Citizens) |
| St Andrew’s Day | Monday 30 November |
| Crowds and hotels | Quiet midweek; busier on market weekends and big gig nights |
What things cost in November
November is one of the cheapest months to be in Glasgow. Rooms are easier to find, and the best rainy-day attractions are free. A few benchmark prices:
| Item | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subway single / all-day cap | £1.80 / £3.40 | Contactless or Smartcard; a paper single is £1.85 |
| Christmas markets | Free entry | The ice rink, rides, big wheels and Santa’s grotto are charged separately |
| Pantomime tickets | From £15 at the King’s; from £23 at the Pavilion | Weekend and holiday dates cost more and sell first |
| Kelvingrove, Riverside Museum, the Burrell, GoMA | Free | Donation boxes at the door |
| Kelvingrove organ recital | Free | 1pm Monday to Saturday, 3pm on Sunday |
| Royal Conservatoire of Scotland performances | From £5 | Hundreds of student concerts, operas and plays a year |
| Celtic Park / Ibrox stadium tours | From about £20 / £28 | Ibrox tours run on non-match days only |
| OVO Hydro cloakroom | £8.50 per item | Backpacks and anything A3 or bigger aren’t allowed inside |
If you’re counting every pound, our Glasgow on a budget guide goes further, and the discount cards and travel passes guide shows which passes are worth buying.
November weather in Glasgow
The Met Office’s long-term averages give November a typical high of 9.3°C and a low of 3.6°C. That’s cold rather than freezing: the chill in November comes from damp and wind more than from the thermometer. It’s also squarely in the wettest part of the Glasgow year, with about 145mm of rain on around 18 days, and it’s one of the dullest months, with only about 58 hours of sunshine in total. Some Novembers bring a run of still, frosty, blue-sky days; others bring three weeks of drizzle. You won’t know which until you’re there.
Frost becomes a regular visitor. The Met Office station at Bishopton, near Glasgow Airport, averages five or six frosty nights in November, and clear nights can leave the parks white first thing. Snow in the city itself is unusual this early, though the higher hills you can see from Glasgow sometimes get their first dusting before the month is out. Wind is the other factor. Autumn storms keep coming through, and a named storm can disrupt ferries, trains and Highland roads for a day or two.
What to pack for November
- A warm, properly waterproof coat with a hood. More than anything else you pack, this decides how much you enjoy the trip.
- Hat, gloves and a scarf. The wind off the Clyde makes 5°C feel a lot colder than it sounds.
- Waterproof shoes or boots. Pavements stay wet for days in November, and park paths turn to mud.
- Layers underneath. Museums, pubs and theatres are warm, and you’ll be in and out of them all day.
For the whole year’s figures and a fuller packing list, see our Glasgow weather guide.
How to make the most of short November days
The clocks go back at the end of October, so November runs on Greenwich Mean Time from start to finish. On 1 November it’s light from about 7.20am to 4.40pm. By the 30th that has shrunk to about 8.20am to 3.50pm, which gives you under seven and a half hours of usable daylight, and less on a thick grey day. The way to deal with it is to plan backwards from sunset.
- Put the outdoor things in the middle of the day. Parks, the Necropolis, the Clyde Walkway, a university stroll or a day trip should run from about 10am to 2pm, not later.
- Catch the last of the light somewhere high. A sunset from Queen’s Park or the top of the Necropolis comes at about 4pm, which is before you’d normally think about dinner.
- Do the museums in the afternoon. Glasgow’s big council-run museums close at 5pm, so start the ones you care about by 2pm or 3pm.
- Save the long evening for the city at night. Glasgow is good after dark: gigs, theatre, pubs with live music, and a riverside that looks far better lit up than it does on a flat grey afternoon.
A good November evening walk runs along the north bank of the Clyde from the Riverside Museum towards the SEC. The Finnieston Crane, the Clyde Arc (known locally as the Squinty Bridge), the Armadillo and the OVO Hydro are all lit after dark, and it’s the best free light show in the city. Our guide to things to do in Glasgow at night has plenty more.
Bonfire Night in Glasgow
Guy Fawkes Night, 5 November, falls on a Thursday in 2026. It’s worth being straight about the fireworks, because older guides still get this wrong. Glasgow’s big free council display on Glasgow Green hasn’t run since 2019. The council has set money aside and talked about bringing it back with a partner, but as of September 2026 nothing had been confirmed for this year. Check Glasgow Life and local news in late October before you plan an evening around it.
What you can count on is noise. Private fireworks go off all over the city for several nights either side of the 5th, and smaller organised displays, usually ticketed, pop up around Glasgow and the surrounding towns on the nearest weekend. If you’re travelling with a nervous dog, pick your accommodation with that in mind.
The Christmas season starts: markets, rinks and big wheels
November is when Glasgow switches into Christmas mode, and 2026 brings one change that catches people out. The markets are not on George Square this year. The square has been redeveloped, and no return has been confirmed, so the festivities are split between two other sites:
- St Enoch Square, from Friday 6 November to Sunday 27 December. This is the market proper, with food and gift stalls, a festive bar with free entertainment, a solar-powered observation wheel and a few rides. It sits at the bottom of Buchanan Street, with St Enoch Subway station on the square itself.
- Glasgow Green, from Friday 20 November to Sunday 3 January. Billed as Glasgow’s Winter Wonderland, this is the bigger family site, with an ice rink and festive bar, a second observation wheel, a circus in a heated big top, a Bavarian snow slide, a helter skelter, rides and Santa’s grotto on selected dates. Book the grotto ahead, because walk-up tickets cost more.
Entry to both sites is free, and you pay for what you ride, skate or eat. Weekday afternoons are the calmest time to go, and Friday and Saturday evenings the busiest. Glasgow Green, the city’s oldest park, is a short walk east of the Merchant City along the river, so the two sites combine easily with an evening in town. For the wider festive picture, see our Glasgow Christmas markets guide, and check the operators’ own sites for daily opening hours, which vary.
The markets pair naturally with Christmas shopping. Buchanan Street runs straight up from St Enoch Square, with the covered arcade of Princes Square halfway along. If you want to take home something better than a novelty tartan scarf, our guide to Scottish gifts and tartan will point you in the right direction. So will a bottle from one of the city’s gin distilleries.
Pantomime season opens
Glasgow pantomime is a noisy, local, gloriously rude institution, and the 2026–27 season opens across the second half of November:
- The Tron on the Trongate opens its alternative panto, The Snaw Queen, on 18 November.
- The King’s Theatre on Bath Street opens Aladdin, starring Elaine C Smith and Johnny Mac, on 21 November, with tickets from £15. This is the big, glittering family show.
- The Pavilion on Renfield Street opens Goldilocks and the Three Bonnie Bears on 26 November, from £23. Expect the cheekiest jokes in town.
- Eastwood Park Theatre in Giffnock opens its own Aladdin on 26 November.
- The Citizens in the Gorbals opens Cinderella on 28 November.
Late November is the best time to go if you can. The run has just started, the cast is fresh, and you’ll have far more choice of seats than in the week before Christmas. Our Glasgow pantomime guide explains which show suits which audience, and the Glasgow theatre guide covers the rest of the stage calendar.
St Andrew’s Day: Scotland’s national day
St Andrew, Scotland’s patron saint, gets his day on 30 November, which is a Monday in 2026. Officially it’s a bank holiday in Scotland, but it’s a voluntary one, so most shops, museums, restaurants and attractions open as normal, and you may not notice much difference on the street. Don’t expect a Hogmanay-style party. St Andrew’s Day is a much quieter affair than Burns Night or New Year, marked with Saltires on flagpoles, special menus and ceilidhs.
If you’re in town for it, the best way to join in is to find a ceilidh. The dances are called and taught on the night, nobody minds if you get them wrong, and our guide to ceilidhs and traditional music in Glasgow explains where to go. Otherwise, mark the day with a proper Scottish dinner. November is the month for Cullen skink, haggis with neeps and tatties, and a good dram afterwards, so see our guides to traditional Scottish food in Glasgow and the best whisky bars.
Music, football and nights out in November
Gigs and concerts
The autumn touring season runs right through November, and Glasgow’s venues are busy most nights of the week. You can see arena shows at the OVO Hydro, sweaty, joyous nights at the Barrowland Ballroom, the next big thing at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, and club and warehouse nights at SWG3. On the classical side, the RSNO and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra are in the thick of their seasons, and the Royal Conservatoire’s student performances, from £5, are some of the best-value nights out in the city. See our guide to classical music in Glasgow.
If you’re already thinking about coming back in the new year, keep an eye out for the Celtic Connections programme. The festival fills the second half of January with folk, roots and world music, and the best gigs sell out well in advance.
Football
The Scottish Premiership is in full swing in November, and there’s usually an international break mid-month, when Scotland’s home games are played at Hampden. Stadium tours at Celtic Park and Ibrox make a good dry-weather morning. The Ibrox tour doesn’t run on match days, so check the fixtures first. Our Glasgow football guide covers tickets, tours and matchday etiquette.
A November day in Glasgow that works in any weather
- 10am: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, free, staying for the 1pm organ recital (3pm on Sundays).
- Lunch: the cafés and restaurants of Finnieston or Byres Road, both a short walk away.
- 2pm: the Botanic Gardens at the top of Byres Road. The Kibble Palace glasshouse is free, warm and full of tree ferns, and on a clear afternoon the low winter sun pours straight through the glass.
- 4pm: the Subway back into town as the light goes. From Hillhead to Buchanan Street takes about ten minutes.
- Evening: the market on St Enoch Square (from 6 November), dinner in the Merchant City, then a gig, a panto or a pub with live music.
For more wet-weather plans, see things to do in Glasgow when it rains. If you only have one indoor afternoon, make it the Burrell Collection in Pollok Country Park, which is free and one of the finest museums in Britain.
Day trips from Glasgow in November
With so little daylight, November day trips work best when the journey is short and the destination is at least partly indoors. The best bets:
- Edinburgh. Under an hour on the train, it’s mostly a city of indoor sights, and its own Christmas season gets going in the second half of the month.
- Stirling Castle. It’s close, much of the visit is indoors, and the views from the ramparts on a clear, cold day are superb.
- A distillery. Auchentoshan is on the edge of the city, and our guide to distillery day trips from Glasgow covers the ones further afield. No distillery tour depends on the weather.
- Loch Lomond. Go early in the month for the last of the autumn colour, and check whether the boats are still running before you go.
The Highlands are a harder sell. Glencoe and beyond look magnificent in low winter light, but a return trip in seven or eight hours of daylight means driving in the dark on roads you don’t know, often in the rain. If the west Highlands are the point of your trip, stay a night or two rather than doing it from Glasgow in a day.
Is November a good time to visit Glasgow?
It depends what you’re coming for. November is a good month if you want Glasgow as locals live it: cheap rooms, uncrowded museums, a packed evening calendar and the start of the festive season without the full December crush. It’s a poor month for outdoor sightseeing, photography, long walks and Highland scenery, and nobody should come in November expecting good weather.
If you can pick your dates, the second half of the month has more going on. The Glasgow Green site opens on 20 November, the pantomimes open from the 18th, and the city looks more festive with every week. The first half is quieter and cheaper, and it catches the tail end of the autumn colour. For a comparison with the months either side, see our guides to Glasgow in October and the best time to visit Glasgow. Three days is plenty for a November city break, and our 3-day Glasgow itinerary leans heavily on the indoor sights.
If you can push your trip into December, the festive season is in full swing: all five pantomimes are running, the Irn-Bru Carnival opens at the SEC on 18 December, and the markets carry on until Christmas and beyond. Our guide to Glasgow in December has the details, including what closes on Christmas Day.
Glasgow in November: frequently asked questions
Is November a good time to visit Glasgow?
Yes, if you’re after culture, food, nightlife and value rather than sunshine. Hotels are cheap, the museums are quiet and the Christmas season starts mid-month. It’s not a good month for outdoor sightseeing or Highland day trips, because the days are short and often wet.
How cold is Glasgow in November?
The average high is 9.3°C and the average low 3.6°C, and there are usually a few frosty nights. It feels colder than the numbers suggest because of the damp and the wind, so pack a warm waterproof coat, a hat and gloves.
When do the Glasgow Christmas markets open in 2026?
The St Enoch Square market opens on Friday 6 November and runs until 27 December. The Winter Wonderland site on Glasgow Green, with the ice rink, big wheel and Santa’s grotto, runs from Friday 20 November to 3 January 2027. The markets are not on George Square this year.
Is there a fireworks display in Glasgow on Bonfire Night?
The big free council display on Glasgow Green hasn’t taken place since 2019, and as of September 2026 no return had been confirmed. Smaller ticketed displays run around the city and nearby towns, usually on the nearest weekend, so check local listings nearer the time.
Is St Andrew’s Day a holiday in Glasgow?
It’s officially a Scottish bank holiday, on Monday 30 November in 2026, but it’s voluntary, so most shops, museums and restaurants stay open. Look out for ceilidhs and Scottish menus rather than big public celebrations.
What time does it get dark in Glasgow in November?
Sunset is at about 4.40pm on 1 November and about 3.50pm by the end of the month, and it’s fully dark within the hour. Plan outdoor sightseeing for the middle of the day.
Related Glasgow Guides
- Best time to visit Glasgow, month by month
- Glasgow in October: weather, events and what’s on
- Glasgow weather: what to expect and what to pack
- Glasgow events and festivals calendar
- Glasgow Christmas markets
- Glasgow pantomime guide
- Things to do in Glasgow at night
- Hogmanay in Glasgow
Photo Credits
The Clyde Arc and the Finnieston Crane at night: Clyde Arc at night by Giuseppe Milo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
St Enoch Square in winter: St. Enoch Square, Glasgow (39960070242) by Daniel from Glasgow, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Saltire: Saltire (6061823247) by Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Kibble Palace on a winter afternoon: Kibble Palace Glasgow winter afternoon by Lirazelf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
