What’s On
Dates: Friday 24 – Saturday 25 April
Times: Friday 4pm – 9pm, Saturday 12noon – 9pm
Venue: Abbey Close and Bridge Street, Paisley
Two days of top street food from across Scotland, fantastic local traders, live music and more.
Don’t forget to check out @paisleyfoodanddrink on Instagram for the latest info!
Register to trade
Renfrewshire Council are seeking professional and suitably-qualified Street Food Traders, Specialist Hot and Cold Food Vendors to deliver a variety of high-quality food, drink and specialist produce at the Paisley Food and Drink Festival.
The festival is one of the largest in Central Scotland. In 2025, over 22,000 people attended the two-day event and spent on average £68.66 each on food and drink.
The event has a strong family focus and we want people of all ages to enjoy trying a variety of food at a price point that offers value for money.
The town centre site at Abbey Close, Bridge Street and Bridge Street Car Park will be fully-licensed for the sale of alcohol, with covered seating areas to maximise audience dwell time. A full programme of live entertainment will be in operation on the Friday and Saturday alongside a delicious food offer, food workshops and free activities for children.
Friday night is more adult-orientated with a music programme featuring live acts and DJs. Saturday will have a family focus with a range of family-friendly entertainment, and all food traders will be required to offer children’s portions at a discounted price.
If you wish to be considered to trade at the 2026 event, please complete our application form by the deadline of 5pm, Friday 23 January 2026, including sending relevant documents to events@renfrewshire.gov.uk.
Complete this form if you are based in Renfrewshire:
Paisley Food & Drink Festival 2026 – Local Food Trader Application Form – Fill in form
Complete this form if you are based outwith Renfrewshire:
Paisley Food & Drink Festival 2026 – Food Trader Application Form – Fill in form
Please note that applications will not be considered unless relevant documentation, detailed in the application form, is received by Renfrewshire Council before the deadline.
We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully working with you in 2026.
Getting here
Train
Paisley Gilmour Street train station is less than 10 minutes’ walk from the event site. There are regular services to and from Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Inverclyde.
Bus
McGill’s has various services in and around Paisley, with over 70 buses every hour serving Paisley town centre. There are plenty of bus stops near the festival site.
Plan your journey on McGill’s free app, to find the best service, ticket and view your bus arriving to the stop in real time.
Car
Paisley town centre is just a 12-minute drive from Glasgow city centre via the M8 motorway which travels through Renfrewshire on its Greenock / Glasgow / Edinburgh route.
The closest public car parks to the event site are Orchard Street, Lonend, School Wynd, and the Lagoon Leisure Centre. Charges will apply, find out more about parking and tariffs on the Council website. Please be considerate to our neighbours and don’t park in residential parking spaces.
Road and car park closures
Information to follow.
Accessibility
We want our event to be as inclusive as possible, so that everyone can enjoy it.
If you have any questions, or if your enquiry is about a specific physical access need, please get in touch with the team at events@renfrewshire.gov.uk.
Site description
Paisley Food and Drink Festival takes place at Abbey Close and Bridge Street. Most surfaces are hard and paved, with typical road surfaces and pavements. Ramps will be provided at key points to assist with changes in ground level.
Food and drink options for people with allergies and children
A variety of food and drink traders will be available at the festival that cater to different dietary requirements and allergies such as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. Many traders are also offering kids’ portions on their menus. Please ask the individual traders for options and discuss any food allergies or intolerances.
Sound and noise
As with any large-scale event, the festival site can get quite loud. There will be a mixture of live music, ambient noise, singing and talking. As the site is in the town centre, noise can also echo off nearby buildings.
Accessible parking
The closest accessible parking will be Renfrewshire House car park, street parking on Cotton Street, or the Piazza shopping centre car park.
Mobility support services
Shopmobility Renfrewshire offers the hire of wheelchairs, powerchairs and electric scooters, for both day hire and longer periods at a low cost. Contact the Shopmobility team on 0141 889 0441 or email admin@shopmobilityrenfrewshire.org.uk .
Toilets and accessible toilets
There are toilets available at the following locations on site. Each location includes an accessible toilet and baby changing.
- Cotton Street
- Bridge Street car park
- Next to Paisley Town Hall
There will be a mobile Changing Place located on Cotton Street.
Bringing dogs
Dogs on leads are welcome to attend, but please remember the event will be busy. If your dog isn’t used to loud noises and crowds, they may be best left at home.
Attending with a young family
There is no on-site pram parking for this event.
There will be baby changing facilities within each of the accessible toilets located at:
- Cotton Street
- Bridge Street car park
- Next to Paisley Town Hall
Volunteering
Volunteering is a great way to get skills and experience in working at major events. It’s also a great way of getting out and about, meeting new and like-minded people, and making a valuable contribution to your community.
Send an email to Valerija Tkacenko, our Event Coordinator, at eventsvolunteers@renfrewshire.gov.uk if you’d like to volunteer.
Contact
Sponsor our events
Send an email to our Events Team at events@renfrewshire.gov.uk.
General enquiries
Send an email to our Events Team at events@renfrewshire.gov.uk.
