UK’s largest festival dedicated to a low‑carbon built environment will move to a multi‑location format under the theme “Driving Delivery”, beginning in Edinburgh before heading to Dumfries, Inverness and Glasgow.

Centred on "Driving Delivery", the 2026 programme will prioritise practical pathways to accelerate the transition to a low‑carbon built environment. Each regional stop will delve into local opportunities and barriers while connecting participants with national and international expertise.

Despite growing momentum in retrofit, clean heat, low‑carbon construction and modern methods of construction, the built environment still accounts for around a quarter of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. Challenges remain around delivery, skills, finance, supply chains and scaling up proven solutions.

BE-ST Fest 2026 will place industry at the heart of the agenda, highlighting technologies, business models and delivery approaches already showing measurable impact. Through keynote addresses, panel debates and hands‑on workshops, attendees will explore how to accelerate deployment at scale and convert ambition into real‑world outcomes.

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A line‑up of leading voices from across the sector will be announced in the coming months. Topics will span retrofit, clean heat, innovative materials, skills, modern methods of construction, smart energy systems and more. Each summit will feature morning plenary keynotes followed by afternoon breakout workshops and collaborative sessions.

The International Retrofit Conference will return as the festival's opener on 2 September 2026 at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.

BE-ST Fest 2026 dates and locations:

• 2 September 2026 – BE-ST Fest East: International Retrofit Conference, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh

• 23 September 2026 – BE-ST Fest South, The Crichton, Dumfries

• 6 October 2026 – BE-ST Fest North, Eden Court, Inverness

• 4 November 2026 – BE-ST Fest West, Technology & Innovation Centre (TIC), Glasgow

The festival will conclude with the Accelerate to Zero Awards at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow on Thursday 5 November 2026, celebrating projects, organisations and individuals advancing progress across the built environment.

Sponsorship opportunities are available across the regional summits and the festival as a whole, offering direct engagement with sector leaders, policymakers and practitioners. For partnership enquiries, contact [email protected].

BE-ST Fest 2026 is free to attend. Registration is available at be-stfest.org.