Scottish food & drink festivals 2026

30 May 2026 – 31 May 2026· 2 days

Leith Links, Edinburgh· City of Edinburgh

New-for-2026 weekend festival at Leith Links celebrating Edinburgh’s independent food scene. Street food, cookery theatre, artisan markets, live music and family entertainment.

24 July 2026 – 2 August 2026· 10 days

George Square Gardens, Edinburgh· City of Edinburgh

tens of thousands across the 10-day run (operator publishes no official figure)

The best free food festival in Scotland. Compact, city-centre, and strong on Scottish producers — cheese, charcuterie, baking, street food, and a good drinks selection. Runs for 10 days in George Square Gardens during Edinburgh's festival season. Less hectic than the Royal Highland Show, more accessible than rural festivals. Go on a weekday for a less crowded experience. No booking required.

7 August 2026 – 9 August 2026· 3 days

Inverleith Park, Edinburgh· City of Edinburgh

Tens of thousands over the weekend

The Edinburgh leg of the ticketed, UK-wide Foodies Festival — three days in Inverleith Park with chef-demo theatres, a Cake & Bake tent, a drinks and cocktail line-up, street food and headline evening live music. Not to be confused with the free Edinburgh Food Festival in George Square Gardens: this is the paid national-brand event, more day-out-with-music than local producers' market.

14 August 2026 – 16 August 2026· 3 days

Rouken Glen Park, Giffnock, Glasgow· Glasgow

Tens of thousands over the weekend

The Glasgow leg of the UK-wide Foodies Festival — a big, ticketed, three-day food-and-music day out in Rouken Glen Park. Chef demos in the Chefs Theatre, a Cake & Bake tent, a drinks and cocktail line-up, street food, a wellness village and headline live music in the evenings. It's a polished national-brand event rather than a local producers' market, so treat it as a day out as much as a food shop.

7 November 2026· 1 day

Various venues, Glasgow· Glasgow City

~1,500 across sessions

An indoor tasting event bringing 30+ exhibitors to Glasgow for a day of whisky sampling. Mix of major distilleries, independent bottlers, and specialist retailers. Each ticket includes a tasting glass and tokens for a set number of drams. More accessible than the destination festivals (Fèis Ìle, Spirit of Speyside) — no accommodation needed, no ferry required, just a Saturday afternoon in the city centre. A good entry point for whisky beginners and a solid way for experienced drinkers to taste new releases.

14 November 2026 – 3 January 2027· ~6 weeks

East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh· City of Edinburgh

~2 million visitors over 6 weeks

Scotland's largest Christmas market, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors across six weeks. Mix of Scottish food producers and generic Christmas market fare — quality varies hugely by stall. The Scottish producer stalls (tablet, fudge, smoked salmon, whisky, gin) are the ones worth visiting. Mulled wine and bratwurst are the atmospheric staples. Prices are 2–3x what you'd pay normally. Go for the atmosphere and lights, not the value. Much busier on weekends — weekday evenings are more pleasant.

28 April 2027 – 3 May 2027· 6 days

Speyside· Moray

~50,000 attendees over 5 days

Speyside’s answer to Fèis Île, across all the major distilleries. More accessible by car than Islay and slightly easier to book.

24 May 2027 – 29 May 2027· 6 days

Campbeltown· Argyll and Bute

~1,500 across the weekend

Campbeltown's three distilleries — Springbank, Glen Scotia, and Glengyle — open their doors for a long weekend of tastings, tours, and exclusive releases. Smaller and more intimate than Fèis Ìle or Spirit of Speyside, with a genuine community feel. Springbank's open day is the highlight, with exclusive bottlings that sell out immediately. Glen Scotia and Glengyle offer tastings and warehouse tours. The town itself is compact enough to walk between all three distilleries in 10 minutes.

28 May 2027 – 6 June 2027· 9 days

Isle of Islay· Argyll and Bute

~5,000 visitors per day

Nine-day celebration of Islay whisky. Each distillery hosts its own open day. Festival bottlings sell out in minutes. Accommodation books out months in advance.

5 June 2027· 1 day

Park Farm, Dumfries· Dumfries and Galloway

One-day family-friendly real-ale and craft beer festival at Dumfries Rugby Club’s Park Farm ground, in aid of Dumfries Saints RFC. Ten-plus Scottish breweries plus live music.

12 June 2027· 1 day

Caird Hall, Dundee· Dundee City

New-for-2026 whisky festival run by Slanj Events at Dundee’s historic Caird Hall. Hundreds of drams across two sessions, producer-led tastings, masterclasses, branded Glencairn glass included.

17 June 2027 – 20 June 2027· 4 days

Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh· City of Edinburgh

~190,000 visitors over 4 days

Scotland's biggest agricultural show and its biggest food event. Over 200,000 visitors across four days. The food hall alone is worth the ticket — hundreds of Scottish producers selling cheese, charcuterie, whisky, gin, beer, baking, and preserves. Also features livestock judging, forestry demonstrations, and a countryside area. Book online ahead — Saturday regularly sells out — and note that all parking must be pre-booked; there are no on-the-day parking sales.