Sam Heughan’s Spirit of Galloway event cancelled at Stranraer Oyster Festival
The Outlander star was scheduled to host a special event at this year’s annual oyster festival.
Sam Heughan’s Spirit of Galloway event at this year’s Stranraer Oyster Festival has been cancelled. The actor and author was set to headline a flagship Sunday afternoon event celebrating his home region.
The actor and proud champion of Galloway, was to host Spirit of Galloway, an unhurried two-hour Sunday afternoon session combining conversation, signature cocktails and dishes from chefs Rosemary Shrager and Julie Lin, inspired by the produce of Galloway's landscape and coastline.
But now the festival organisers have announced the event’s cancellation on social media, and Mr Heughan’s disappointment.
They wrote: “Spirit of Galloway Cancelled, Plus New Chef Events Announced We are very sorry to share that Spirit of Galloway with Sam Heughan scheduled for Sunday 13 September at Stranraer Oyster Festival has been cancelled due to a change in Sam's availability.
“Sam has asked us to convey his disappointment that he won't be at Stranraer Oyster Festival this year, but that he hopes to attend in the future.
“Ticket holders for Spirit of Galloway have been contacted directly by email via our ticketing platform, Citizen Ticket. Refunds will be automatic and are now being processed. Ticket holders don't need to do anything, and should allow up to 10 days for refunds to be processed.
“Sunday afternoon now welcomes a new event, from 2:30pm – 4pm. A Taste of Galloway brings celebrity chefs Rosemary Shrager and Julie Lin together to celebrate the very best of Galloway's larder.”
This change in the schedule has meant that there are new events on Saturday 12 September.
Rosemary Shrager and Tom Singh will host an additional demo, which will replace Celebrating the Oyster Festival: A Conversation on Regeneration as this will no longer take place. Tickets for all new events are on sale now.
Stranraer Oyster Festival 2026 takes place from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September with all tickets on sale now.
The Stranraer Oyster Festival, which is now in its 10th year, celebrates the ecological treasure that lies beneath Loch Ryan's waters, an estimated 23 million native oysters that represent one of Europe's most important oyster beds.
The native oyster was once widespread around Scotland and much of the UK but has been harvested to near extinction which means almost all other oysters for sale in the UK come from oyster farms. Wild native oysters are distinct from farmed rock oysters; most of the UK's native oyster beds were wiped out due to overfishing
The Stranraer Oyster Festival provides an opportunity for members of the public to try these unique oysters on the banks of the sea loch from which they are carefully harvested.
Protected by Royal Charter since 1701, the bed is managed sustainably, with 95 per cent of each catch carefully re-laid to grow the oyster population.
The festival has grown from a community dream into one of Scotland's most successful food festivals, generating more than £12 million in economic impact since 2017 and attracting visitors from across the UK and beyond to this scenic corner of Galloway.
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