1985

• July: Go-ahead for October launch given jointly by Robin Hodge, Nigel Billen and Sarah Hemming after months of discussion; magazine title agreed, logo designed by Simon Esterson approved, publishing company (The List Ltd) formed, and title registered with British Library
• October: First issue goes to press; launch party held at Glasgow's Third Eye Centre

1986

• June: Magazine nearly closes, five days late in publication due to production delays and problems raising funds to pay printer's bill and get copies released
• July: First full colour editorial with 16-page supplement on the Commonwealth Games Arts Festival taking place in Edinburgh
• August: First coverage of Edinburgh Festival; Gus Macdonald, the new MD of Scottish Television, commissions us to produce two special editions of a new STV staff magazine
• October: Georgette Renwick joins as accounts manager and stays 26 years, playing a crucial role in steering the magazine through the financial crises of the early years and preparing the way for more successful times

1987

• Gus Macdonald arranges for The List to have extensive advertising airtime on STV in exchange for ad space in the magazine; two young advertising creatives, Tim Robertson and Adrian Jeffrey, come up with a radical new idea for TV ads which go on to win a host of Roses Awards, the industry Oscars; circulation soars
• September: First Student Guide is published

1988

• April: Peter Brook creates a new theatre space in Glasgow’s Old Transport Museum (later renamed Tramway) and stages his monumental dramatisation of The Mahabharata
• May: Glasgow Garden Festival transforms a whole stretch of the Clyde

1989

• August: Shift to weekly publication for the Edinburgh Festival with a new record 96 pages

1990

• January: Glasgow reinvents itself and takes a leading role as European Capital Of Culture
• June: Big Day Out is a huge free music festival with stages across Glasgow city centre
• October: Twin Peaks on the cover; sales reach a new record

1991

• Simon Dessain becomes a director of The List Ltd
• December: Cover price raised to £1 for the Christmas double issue and maintained through the new year

1994

• Tony Elliott, founder of Time Out, offers to help with crucial introductions to the major film promoters who control vast advertising budgets. Robin Hodge was invited to the annual, boozy long lunch at Time Out's offices which opened up significant new revenue
• May: First Eating & Drinking Guide is published, edited by Jonathan Trew and Andrew Burnet

1995

• Editor Lila Rawlings introduces the first I Saw You messages for those who believe in love at first sight; it develops a strong following over the next few years, boosts circulation and is reputed to have led to many marriages
• June: First T In The Park supplement
• August: First List Festival party

1996

• February: Trainspotting is released in cinemas; we give it unprecedented backing with the front cover and a six-page feature plus a giveaway official film poster with the first 5000 copies

1999

• November: We part own Beat 106, a new radio station for central Scotland which launches at 1.06pm on 19 November

2001

• March: First issue to run full colour throughout, with a new design template developed by Stephen Chester

2003

• November: We publish The Orange Guide To Best Scottish Films Of All Time (winner Trainspotting) followed in successive years by similar guides to Best Scottish Bands (winner Belle & Sebastian) and Best Scottish Books (winner Sunset Song)
• December: Our first Hot 100 is launched by editor Nick Barley, with film director David Mackenzie at number one

2004

• July: First Festival Guide is published as conceived by Mandy Mungall and Nick Barley
• August: A doubled-up package with a Festival and non-Festival magazine

2007

• A major investment in digital operations as we take on five key members of the multiple award-winning team at Scotsman.com

2008 

• Simon Dessain takes over leadership of the digital team attracting investment from Scottish Enterprise and others
• New website launched with searchable listings and articles

2011

• February: First Guide To Scotland’s Festivals is published in association with Creative Scotland and VisitScotland

2012

• Publication of We Create, a survey, summary and celebration of the creative arts across Scotland

2013

• Simon Dessain becomes CEO

2015

• February: Business model changes from paid-for to free

2020

• April: The last issue before covid lockdown forces suspension of publication for two years

2022

• March: Magazine reborn and rebooted with a monthly publication schedule and listings shifted online

2023

• Expand to Australia with the first guide to the Adelaide festivals

2024

• August: First List Festival Awards

2025

• October: A special issue to mark 40 years of The List

Follow The List’s timeline for more reminiscences from magazine’s past:
< The List at 40: Kevin Fullerton (writer) – ‘This is a mag that’s existed in my life in some form or another since I was born’