Crieff Food & Drink Festival Unveils Nine-Day Celebration of Strathearn's Culinary Talent

Crieff and the surrounding Strathearn valley are preparing to play host to a nine-day celebration of local produce, heritage craft, and regional dining, as the Crieff Food & Drink Festival returns from Saturday 10th October to Sunday 18th October 2026.

Proudly sponsored by high-street institution The Crieff Food Co. the 2026 festival expands on last year’s community pilot to deliver a full week-long programme of masterclasses, exclusive dining, hands-on workshops, and family events embedded directly within local kitchens, bakeries, and venues.

The festival opens on Saturday 10th October with the flagship Scottish Artisan Food & Drink Market at The Steading Courtyard (10am-4pm). Bringing together dozens of curated producers from across the region, the free-entry market features local produce, craft spirits, artisan bakes, live music, and family entertainment.

Highlights from the main festival programme include:

• Heritage Baking at Campbell’s Bakery (Mon 12 Oct): An exclusive evening demonstration with seventh-generation master baker Iain Campbell around the working baker’s table at Scotland’s oldest bakery family.
• Masterclasses & Skills (Tue 13 - Thu 15 Oct): Hands-on sessions ranging from Kombucha fermentation with Oak Homeopathy to fish filleting at Fish in Crieff, over-60s community cooking with Cook & Connect, an afternoon tea patisserie masterclass at Ems & Co, and seasonal cookery with Love to Cook raising funds for community cooking classes.
• Celebrity Chef Dining (Fri 16 Oct): Celebrated chef Praveen Kumar hosts a one-night-only curry evening at The Crieff Food Co. cooking with fresh Strathearn produce.
• Oktoberfest & Distillery Finale (Sat 17 - Sun 18 Oct): Bavarian celebrations at G’s Bistro leading into an intimate single malt and Lalique hand-crafted chocolate pairing at The Glenturret, Scotland’s oldest working distillery.

Throughout the week, local favorites including Craobh, Restaurant 1891 at Crieff Golf Club, The Square Bar & Kitchen, The Tower, and Gordon & Durward will offer exclusive festival specials, deals, and confectionery tastings.

Karen Macartney at Experience Crieff, commented:

"What makes the Crieff Food & Drink Festival so special is that every single event is deeply rooted in the authentic food culture of this valley. The people leading these masterclasses and dining experiences aren't visiting acts; they are the passionate chefs, bakers, distillers, and producers who feed this community every single day of the year. We are delighted to throw open our doors and invite food lovers from across Scotland to taste what makes Strathearn so exceptional."

Further event announcements will be released in the coming days.

For full event listings, venue maps, and direct ticket bookings, visit experiencecrieff.co.uk/food-drink-festival-info