The 3500-capacity gig is expected to be one of the highlights of next year’s Celtic Connections festival.
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The 14-time Grammy winner’s show, her first headline concert in Scotland in more than a decade, will be one of the biggest concerts in the history of Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival, which will put tickets for her show on sale on Friday.
Harris, whose recording career dates back to 1969, will perform on the first Friday of the festival, which used the venue for the first time last year for a sold-out show by Hebridean rockers Peat & Diesel.
Harris will appear at the venue the night before the Celtic rock group Skerryvore take to the stage in the arena, which was opened in 2012, two years before it was used for the Commonwealth Games, which will return to the venue summer.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Harris was discovered by the American country rock singer Gram Parsons, who was a key early influence on her career.
Emmylou Harris will be staging a 3500-capacity show at the Emirates Arena on the opening weekend of the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow in January. Picture: Kat Villacorta (Image: Kat Villacorta)
She has recorded or performed with Linda Ronstadt, Daniel Lanois, Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Ryan Adams, Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett and Rodney Crowell.
Donald Shaw, creative producer at Celtic Connections, said: “Emmylou Harris is country music royalty so having her and her band perform a rare Scottish headline performance at Celtic Connections is a real honour.
“Emmylou has made an extraordinary contribution to country music. Her music as a force for good is something that connects deeply with the ethos of this festival.
“Her career is a glittering list of achievements: from her early career as a folk artist in the 1960s, through her timeless country music releases and collaborations with everyone from Gram Parsons to Mark Knopfler, she is recognised as a truly great iconic songwriter, performer and activist, with no less than 14 Grammy awards, 27 Top 20 singles in the country charts, and over 15 million albums sold worldwide.
“This show is made all the more special by the fact Emmylou Harris will perform the first-ever seated concert at the Emirates Arena. Earlier this year we transformed this space into a live music venue for standing gigs, and now, by introducing a seated element, we’re continuing to explore innovative ways to utilise Glasgow’s incredible venues. We’re confident this will be a fantastic experience for audiences.
“Each January we bring world-class musical talent of the highest calibre to Glasgow, and this latest addition to the programme reaffirms our commitment to showcasing the very best global talent.”
Billy Garrett, director of culture, tourism and events at Glasgow Life, which runs the Emirates Arena, said: “The Emirates Arena is proving to be a valuable addition to Glasgow’s music scene.
“Its flexible capacity allows us to offer innovative live music experiences to a diverse range of artists and audiences.
“It also brings cultural and economic benefits to the east end, supporting local businesses and making world-class music more accessible to communities across the city.
“As one of the world’s most recognised voices in country and folk music we’re thrilled to have added Emmylou Harris to our 2026 Celtic Connections line-up.
“It’s also incredibly exciting that her performance will mark the first-ever fully seated concert to take place at our iconic Emirates Arena, building on the sell-out success of Peat and Diesel’s standing gig at the venue during this year’s festival.
“We expect strong demand for tickets as we prepare to welcome artists of the calibre of Emmylou Harris and Skerryvore to the venue in January.”
