Sam Heughan 'delighted' to host special event at Scottish oyster festival - as full celebrity chef line-up announced
The Outlander star is part of a celebrity line-up for this year’s Stranraer Oyster Festival and said he’s ‘delighted’ to be involved.
The celebrity chef line-up for Stranraer Oyster Festival 2026 has been revealed, and every chef who took to the festival's Kitchen Marquee stage last year will be returning, alongside new addition, Outlander star Sam Heughan.
Heughan will headline a flagship Sunday afternoon event celebrating his home region. The actor and proud champion of Galloway, will 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.
Speaking to The Scotsman Mr Heughan said: “Celebrating the South of Scotland, local producers and fantastic produce of Galloway; I’m delighted to be holding the Sunday event, talking about my career, cocktails, the Galloway distillery and pairing some delicious cocktails with delicious dishes created by some celebrity chefs.”
Last year's celebrity line-up has returned in full. Tony Singh, the festival's chef ambassador, comes back for his sixth appearance. He is joined by BBC Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt, national treasure Rosemary Shrager, and Scottish Malaysian chef and TV presenter Julie Lin. Also making a return are Stranraer's own Ryan McCutcheon, David Alexander, Helen Cross and Douglas and Massimo Lisi.
Joining them are Tony Pierce, recently retired from Knockinaam Lodge after more than 25 years, and Noby Leong, a scientist and rising podcast star who came to the 2025 festival as a visitor and fell in love with it.
Stranraer Oyster Festival 2026 takes place from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September. Admission tickets and tickets for the Kitchen Marquee chef-led events are now on sale, with the wider festival programme details to be announced in June.
Romano Petrucci, chair of Stranraer Development Trust, said of this year’s line-up: “We are of course thrilled to be welcoming Sam Heughan to Stranraer for an event that is designed to showcase the very best of Galloway, our shared home region.
“And the fact that every single celebrity chef from last year wanted to return tells you something profound about the festival Stranraer has created.
“These are people at the very top of their profession, several of them household names, they could be anywhere in the world, and they're choosing to be in Stranraer to celebrate our community and our very special Loch Ryan oysters.
"We're announcing the celebrity chef line-up early this year so that festival-goers can plan well in advance.
“An expanded wider festival programme, all the events, activities and live music that are included as part of the festival admission, will be announced in June, and we're every bit as excited about that as we are about the celebrity line-up. The community heart of this festival has always been what makes it special."
New for 2026, a limited number of VIP Weekend Tickets are available at £150, designed for those who'd like to enjoy the festival in style while giving a little something back.
VIP ticket holders enjoy full weekend access, a reserved seat in a private VIP area, complimentary drinks, canapés and oysters served at intervals across the weekend, and a dedicated personal contact to look after them in advance. Every penny supports the festival's work and the community-led regeneration of Stranraer.
As well as planning ahead for festival-goers, those keen to take part in the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championship can get their names down as the competition is now open for entry.
The 'Shuck Off' returns to Stranraer Oyster Festival, pitting chefs, oyster growers, producers, fishermen and industry professionals against each other for the title of Scottish Oyster Shucking Champion.
The winner will go on to represent Scotland at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Galway, Ireland.
Applications from food, drink and craft traders to take part in the 2026 festival market are also open. Stranraer Oyster Festival's market is one of the largest of its kind in southwest Scotland and a major destination for visitors across the weekend.
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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Stranraer Oyster Festival 2026 is supported by headline sponsor Lactalis UK & Ireland, alongside Rock Island whisky from Douglas Laing, Stranraer Skills Station and the Loch Ryan Oyster Fishery Company.
The festival is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council's Signature Events programme, and the work of Stranraer Development Trust is also supported by South of Scotland Enterprise and it has generated more than £12 million in local economic impact since its inception in 2017, and has catalysed an ambitious programme of community-led regeneration in Stranraer
The festival takes place on Stranraer's harbourside, just a stone's throw from the native oyster beds that inspired it all. The event is family-friendly and dog-friendly, with extensive programming for children alongside the headline culinary events.
More information and tickets are available from the Stranraer Oyster Festival website.
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