Events

The 20th Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) will take place from 19 October to 8 November 2026, exploring the theme of Reflections. We also host events throughout the year.

You can explore all our events below and search by date, location, artform, type or keyword. If you would prefer to read our digital brochure, you can download it here.

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Showing 10 events
Glass engraved award trophies for the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival
FilmScreening

International Film Awards 2026

The Social Hub, Glasgow
FREE

Join us in our landmark 20th year to celebrate award-winning cinema from Scotland and across the world. Hosted by Raisah Ahmed and followed by a reception.

Drawing of a purple iris in colour pencil and graphite
Visual ArtsExhibition

Stuart Low

–
Project Ability Gallery, Glasgow

Sharp geometric forms contrast with the fluid beauty of flowers, exploring reflection through structure and spontaneity in this exhibition by Stuart Low. Together, the works consider balance, growth and change.

Multi-ArtsExhibition

Dive Deep, Think Hard!

–
Byres Community Hub, Glasgow
FREE

A multimedia exhibition exploring Reflections from the perspectives of people who hear voices and/or have experience of self-harm.

Abstract oil panting featuring various symbols, including a rainbow, a clock face, and the Star of David.
Visual ArtsExhibition

Art in the Gart & Project Ability

–
Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow
FREE

The Gartnavel Royal Hospital will host a colourful and inspirational exhibition of artwork by Project Ability and inpatients at Gartnavel Royal created in response to the theme of Reflections.

Woman in a white dress under a waterfall.
PhotographyExhibition

On Reflection

–
Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow
FREE

Photography exhibition by Anastazia Grace Hart and Ross Samson, who create portraits with people who have experienced mental health problems, including addiction, ADHD, PTSD and trauma.

Chik is a white man in his 60s. He is pictured smiling and wearing a leather jacket.
Spoken WordPerformance

Been There, Done That, Washed The T-shirt

The Alchemy Experiment, Glasgow
FREE

Chik Duncan is a writer, storyteller, and performer of poyums, with a long history of OCD behind him. Or is it? Spend an hour in his company and judge for yourself.

Dancer strikes a pose in front of a tall ship, with the sun shining behind the mast, in a black and white photograph.
DancePerformance

Mirror, Me

Glasgow Science Centre (Outer Space), Glasgow
FREE

A Butoh-inspired dance performance exploring the fracturing of identity during extreme states in the mirror garden of the Glasgow Science Centre.

Man holds up a small framed mirror with paint streaking down it, looking at his own reflection.
Painting

Diary of a Schizophrenic

–
O Street, Glasgow
FREE

Diary of a Schizophrenic brings together eight years of self-portraits by artist Jamie King. Together they become a moving visual diary of living with schizophrenia, told through paint.

A figure wearing mime make up crouches behind a piece of furniture. They are covered in snow
FilmScreening

Remaking Trauma

The Social Hub, Glasgow
Pay What You Can: £12 / £10 / £8 / £6 / £4
18+

How can art help us revisit and remake traumatic memories? These four deeply intimate short films use virtual reality, performance, animation and archive to explore how childhood trauma shapes the body, home and identity.

A young boy wears a virtual reality headset which has a label on that reads 'Techmed Gaza'
FilmScreening

Acts of Survival

The Social Hub, Glasgow
Pay What You Can: £12 / £10 / £8 / £6 / £4
18+

In the shadow of war, displacement and occupation, survival becomes an act of creativity and resistance. Moving between Syria, Ukraine, Gaza and Kosovo, this programme of intimate documentaries is co-presented with Counterpoint Arts.