The 2026 Commonwealth Games were brought to an end in spectacular fashion with music, dancing and a fireworks display over the River Clyde. Thousands of spectators packed into the Glasgow Hydro on Sunday evening for the closing ceremony, which brought the curtain down on 11 days of sporting action at venues across the city. The event also marked the handover to the Indian city of Amdavad, which will host the Games in 2030.
Scottish and Indian stars unite for the finale
The ceremony featured a packed line-up of Scottish music talent alongside some of India’s biggest dance and music stars, in what was billed as “a spectacle that captures the spirit of two nations coming together on one stage”. The Duke of Edinburgh, vice patron of Commonwealth Sport, spoke during the ceremony to bring Glasgow 2026 formally to a close.
The event began with the vast hall plunged into darkness, with only waving phone lights visible, and some of the audience chanting “No Scotland, no party”. The lights came up for an on-stage performance by Scottish singer Sandi Thom, and a music video by singer Cammy Barnes was projected onto the big screen.
Athletes parade and handover to Amdavad
A procession of athletes, volunteers and the flags of the 74 competing nations and territories entered to the tune of a rousing pop anthem, belted out by Australian artist Delta Goodrem, who shimmered under the lights in a sparkly white dress. The many Team Scotland representatives sported kilts and traffic cone hats, in a nod to the Glaswegian tradition of “coning” statues, which captured the world’s attention during the recent Fifa World Cup. As the procession converged on the central point of the Saltire-shaped staging, Delta Goodrem was joined on stage by Cammy Barnes, with the two singing a duet while some of the athletes danced and waved flags.
This was followed by pipers, a brass band and kilted drummers taking to the stage to play the riff from the Primal Scream song Loaded, accompanied by tracksuit-clad dancers, and a montage of highlights from this year’s Games projected onto the big screen.
A video of Scottish writer Jackie Kay reading her poem Dear Green Hollow then took the intensity down a notch. The poem included the lines: “May you leave with the spirit of Glasgow’s good grace, bottled and kept safe. And in India, in four years’ time, may the Glasgow genie come oot the bottle in Amdavad in Gujarat to wish you well.”
After a performance from Scottish band Elephant Sessions the handover ceremony began, officially transferring host duties to the city of Amdavad. The lowering of the Commonwealth Sport flag on the concourse outside the Hydro was shown on the big screen, and the audience heard speeches from the Glasgow 2026 chairman George Black and Commonwealth Sport president Donald Rukare. Scottish para-athlete Melanie Woods was also named winner of the David Dixon award, which is given to an “outstanding athlete” at each Commonwealth Games.
To complete the handover, the Commonwealth Sport flag was brought onto the stage and passed from Scottish to Indian officials, ending up with Harsh Sanghavi, deputy first minister of Gujarat province, who bowed when it was placed into his hands.
Amdavad welcomed with dance and music
This was followed by a three-act performance welcoming Amdavad as the next host city, featuring some of India’s biggest dance and music stars. Dancers in brightly coloured costumes packed the stage for a performance celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram, the national song of India and a symbol of unity, led by actress and former Miss World Manushi Chhillar. This was followed by a duet featuring Indian sitarist Rishab Rikhiram and Scottish piper Ross Ainslie, in a twist on a classical Indian duet known as a jugalbandi, accompanied by dancers in gold dresses. The performance ended with a tribute to the Indian state of Gujarat featuring lively performances of some of India’s best-known songs, composed and performed by Shankar Mahadevan and his sons Siddharth and Shivam, and Gujarati singer Bhoom Trivedi.
The Duke of Edinburgh then made his entrance to bring this year’s games to a close, with a speech thanking the athletes, volunteers, officials and organisers. “You have inspired us and hopefully future generations. You have also demonstrated what unites us. Thank you all, thank Glasgow,” he said. The brief address ended: “On behalf of His Majesty the King our patron, and in the name of Commonwealth Sport, I proclaim Glasgow 2026 closed.”
The speech was followed by a “ceilidh for the Commonwealth” organised by street dance group Diversity, with volunteers and some of the athletes joining the dancing. Glasgow 2026 hero Mop Man also made an appearance, prompting rapturous cheers as he delivered his signature cleaning-inspired dance routine to the strains of club classic Bits And Pieces. Glasgow rockers Simple Minds then took to the stage to bring events to a close inside the Hydro. They finished with their hit Don’t You (Forget About Me), while outside the venue the skies were lit up by a dramatic fireworks display.
