If your weekend plans involve "something warm, something Glaswegian, and something that smells absolutely incredible," you are in luck.

The Glasgow Coffee Festival returns to The Briggait on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April 2026 — and organisers say this year is the biggest yet, with the event expanding beyond its spiritual home and into the neighbouring Clydeside Halls to accommodate a crowd of around 2,800 caffeine pilgrims.

What's on

Expect more than 50 stalls from roasters, independent cafés and industry exhibitors from across the UK, alongside free tastings, expert talks, hands-on workshops and roasting demonstrations. The programme also hosts the SCA UK Brewers Cup and, new for 2026, the inaugural Best Roaster UK competition — a blind-cupping, peer-assessed showdown with finalists including Glasgow's own Dear Green and Thomson's, Glen Lyon of Aberfeldy, and Figment of Aberdeen going up against the best from England and Wales.

In other words: a genuine chance to taste some of the finest coffee in the country, poured by the people who roasted it.

The Glasgow story

The festival was founded in 2014 by Lisa Lawson, the founder of Dear Green Coffee Roasters, who started her own roastery in 2011 by cycling bags of beans around the East End. "There were only a few speciality cafés in 2014, and we were pushing against a lot of resistance," Lawson has said. "It happened slowly, then all at once."

Twelve years on, the festival is a staple of the city's food and drink calendar and a showcase for Glasgow's thriving independent scene.

Practical bits

  • When: Sat 18 & Sun 19 April 2026, sessions from around 9am into late afternoon
  • Where: The Briggait and Clydeside Halls, Glasgow city centre
  • Tickets: From £17, advance only — no tickets on the door
  • Sold out? The main allocation has gone, but a waitlist is live at glasgowcoffeefestival.com, and returns do trickle through
  • Family-friendly: Yes — under-12s go free
  • Dogs: Sadly not, except assistance dogs
  • Cups: Bring your own reusable — the festival has banned single-use cups since 2018 (a world first for a coffee event), and washing stations are dotted throughout the venue

Headline partners this year are La Marzocco UK, Ayrshire's Mossgiel Farm (the organic dairy that has quietly taken over Glasgow's flat whites), and of course Dear Green.

Staying over? The Social Hub is offering 20% off room-only bookings between 13–20 April with the code COFFEEFEST26.

Bring your cup. Bring your curiosity. Leave the dog at home and the cynicism at the door — Glasgow is about to smell magnificent.