UK BBQ WEEK 2026

If you’ve already thought about picking up the tongs this year but haven’t quite made it to firing up the grill, then let the weekend of the 2nd May be your time to start. UK BBQ Week is returning for its 9th year to celebrate outdoor cooking and encourage creativity over the flames. 

Set up in 2017 by a group of BBQ enthusiasts, UK BBQ Week is a not-for-profit movement run by volunteers that aims to spread the good word of BBQ and show more people how rewarding outdoor cooking can be all year round – not just when the sun decides to show its face in the UK.

Uniting people from around the country through a shared interest in BBQ, each year UK BBQ Week showcases the food, people and culture of the BBQ community. The celebration serves as encouragement for all ages, genders and backgrounds to give BBQ cooking a try and cook up something delicious for friends and family in a fun, non-pressured way. Fire is, after all, our most ancient and fundamental way of cooking.

This year, the celebration will be extended over two weekends, running from Saturday 2nd until Sunday 10th May. Each day is dedicated to a different theme, showcasing the true diversity of BBQ cuisine. Those both new to the grill and familiar with fire will have the opportunity to experiment and test their skills with themes to look forward to, including classic BBQ cooking styles like ‘Low and Slow’, as well as some more unconventional themes like ‘Mexican Monday’ and ‘Tarts, Pies and Pastry’.

Having built a strong community on social media with over 7000 followers on Instagram, the hashtag #UKBBQWEEK has been used over 10,000 times since it was first launched. Keen cooks are encouraged to use this hashtag and tag @ukbbqweek to share their creations and be part of the community, while keeping an eye on any BBQ-adjacent brands that are running promotions and competitions during the period. Recipes, tips and stories from some of the UK’s top pitmasters and chefs will also be shared across the week, so even the most novice of BBQ chefs can learn something.