Feasting: Festivals

Yeah, yeah, arts and culture abound but what you really want to do is fill your tummy, am I right? Edinburgh Food Festival is here to fill the hungry gap: they’re also holding the Scottish Street Food Awards on their opening weekend. Expect fun, food, demos and tasty booze from an array of well-kent traders (Friday 19—Sunday 28 July). 

Not to be outdone, Foodies Festival is hitting Inverleith Park in Edinburgh (Friday 2—Sunday 4 August) and Glasgow’s Rouken Glen Park (Friday 9—Sunday 11 August), blending celeb chefs and music in a genre they cunningly call gastro-Glasto. Blue headline both, alongside demos, tastings and kids’ workshops. 

If that’s leaving you thirsty, you’ll welcome the triumphant return of Glasgow’s West End Beer Festival (Friday 2 & Saturday 3 August). Hillhead Sports Club hosts, with 12 indie breweries plus food trucks making a weekend of it. 

Feasting: Near Festivals 

The eleventy-million (estimated) people descending on Edinburgh next month makes fertile ground for pop-ups and residencies. Much-missed Mistral will be at Leith’s Williams & Johnson every weekend, with spritzes, sips and snacks (every Friday & Saturday until 31 August). In the same vein, nomadic wine shop Fion are popping up at Stockbridge’s Radicibus, with wines by the glass, flights and charcuterie (every Sunday and Monday until 26 August). 

The good folks at Origin Coffee are collabing with Leith legends Electric Spirit Co on a nightly bar, with Negronis on tap, beer and espresso soft-serve (Thursday 1—Saturday 31 August), while the gang from Skua/Cardinal bring us Coop, a street food pop-up inside Fettle on Marshall Street (weekends from Friday 19 July; nightly from Wednesday 31 July—Saturday 31 August).   

Feasting: Not Festivals 

They’re the OG of Edinburgh street food markets and they’re (almost) back: The Pitt is furiously crowdfunding to finish off their new Granton home. If you want a progress-check, Edinburgh Dub Club: Mighty Oak Sound System are playing a one-off event (Saturday 20 July). We’re also looking forward to Tiny Kitchen taking over the pass at The Green Room, and trying out Broughton Street’s Bistro Coco and Ruma (welcome back lads).  

There’s a new supper club in Glasgow: Tumshie is hosted by chefs Marc Johnson and Johathan Mackle. Their next weekender will be at Dumbarton Road’s Haylynn Canteen (Tuesday 16 & Wednesday 17 July). Still in Glasgow, first night nerves (seriously, have you seen The Bear?) are no doubt setting in for Gary Townsend: Elements, his first solo venture, opens in Bearsden this week.

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