For the first time, the well-known food festival Meatopia will be held in Scotland, with Glasgow’s SWG3 set to host the event from 6th to 8th June 2025. Founded by the late American food writer Josh Ozersky and brought to the UK in 2013, Meatopia has built a reputation for showcasing chefs who specialise in live fire-cooking using sustainable wood, charcoal, and responsibly sourced ingredients.
Each day of the festival, chefs will prepare bespoke dishes over open flames, giving attendees the opportunity to sample unique creations from both international and local culinary talents. Past festivals have featured chefs such as Yotam Ottolenghi, the pioneer of “nose-to-tail” dining, Fergus Henderson, Tuffy Stone, and Sam Yorke of Heron – Scotland’s youngest Michelin-starred chef – and similar names are expected to draw interest in Glasgow.
Meatopia’s Creative Director, Mat Kemp, noted that Glasgow was the “perfect fit” and chosen due to the high quality of Scotland’s local produce, which aligns with the festival’s ethos of using ethically sourced ingredients.
He said, “Our festival is all about world class chefs creating one dish each, with knowledge and influence from global fire-cooking culture, but using the best locally-sourced ingredients – and Scotland’s larder is a dream come true for any cook. The cooks will have so much to play with.
“The success of Meatopia has been overwhelming. It sells out every year because it really is a one-of-a-kind experience, founded to champion the use of naturally raised and produced , ethically sourced meat and fish and vegetables, cooked using only fire or smoke. It really is the world’s best BBQ. Since taking Meatopia to Dublin in 2017, 18 and 19 we’ve been looking up and down the UK for a place to take it next, and Glasgow was the perfect fit.
“This is about hero-ing hands-on cooks, age-old techniques and natural food, and Glasgow has that in abundance. It has such an incredible food scene. As much as anything else, I wanted Meatopia to be in Glasgow to give me an excuse to explore it more.”
The event will also include live entertainment, with a line-up of brass bands, DJs, and other performers to accompany the food offerings. The full list of chefs and entertainers will be announced in the coming months.
