State Fayre has revealed the full line-up for The FUME Pit, the dedicated live-fire BBQ arena sitting at the heart of the festival’s debut edition at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, on 26-28 June 2026. Fifteen traders have been confirmed for the area, hosted on-site by FUME, the UK’s premier live-fire BBQ festival, co-founded by food content creator Eating With Tod.
Headlining the food offering is KG BBQ, Netflix’s Barbecue Showdown star, 2025 FUME Champion, and Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded pitmaster Kareem El-Ghayesh, whose bold Texas-Egyptian fusion barbecue has made him one of the most talked-about names in the game. Joining him are multi-award-winning chef James Peck of acclaimed wood-fired restaurant Ember, 2024 FUME Champion Rack City Ribs (known for fall-off-the-bone ribs with a bold Caribbean twist), and London steakhouse institution Temper, which will bring nose-to-tail live-fire cooking and a weekend menu of special tacos. Plant-based options are also well represented, with London’s leading vegan smokehouse LD’s Kitchen and Manchester’s Wholesome Junkies (as seen on Netflix and BBC Two’s Million Pound Menu) both confirmed.
The FUME Pit will also feature what organisers are billing as the largest live-fire cooking display ever seen in the UK, with giant rigs specially delivered from Brazil and the United States, alongside the biggest offset smokers and BBQ trailers the country has ever seen. Every trader will offer at least one BBQ dish priced under £10, making the experience accessible throughout the weekend.
Across the weekend, attendees can take part in on-site eating competitions and watch live food demonstrations from revered pitmasters, with special guest ‘headliner’ appearances from food content creators Big John (John Fisher), Eating With Tod and Ollie Eats.
FUME Festival Co-Founder and Managing Director at Savour Events, Alex Holland Davis, said: “We’re rolling the biggest BBQs ever made in Britain and from across the Atlantic into Hylands Park for the inaugural State Fayre alongside some of the most talented pitmasters the world has to offer. The FUME Pit brings together the UK’s most-awarded pitmasters alongside 2025 FUME Champion and Austin native KG BBQ for an unforgettable live-fire spectacle. Every trader will offer at least one BBQ dish for under £10, making world-class barbecue accessible to every fan, all hand-picked by Eating With Tod. This is the biggest BBQ moment a UK music festival has ever delivered, and it’s only the beginning.”
The food announcement arrives alongside ten new music act additions to the bill. Benny G, Brenn!, Emma Ogier, Hannah Hill, Landon Smith, Lily Moore, Linka Moja, Mae Estes, Marfa and The Brudi Brothers are the latest names confirmed for State Fayre 2026.
They join headline acts Kings of Leon, Alanis Morissette and The Lumineers, with a packed supporting bill that includes The Black Crowes, Counting Crows, Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Skunk Anansie, Jack Savoretti, Orville Peck, Razorlight, Stephen Wilson Jr., KT Tunstall, Sierra Ferrell, Dylan Gossett, Kingfishr, Amble, Buffalo Traffic Jam and many more. State Fayre was launched last November as a brand-new major camping festival billed as the UK’s largest music and barbecue event, inspired by the culture of American state fairs.
State Fayre organisers Anna-Sophie Mertens and Alex Simmonds said: “We’re so excited to bring The FUME Pit to the inaugural State Fayre. Curated by the masters of the BBQ, FUME, it will be home to a carefully selected group of chefs and vendors operating at the very top of fire-led cooking. It’s a rare opportunity for people to experience this level of talent, skill and flavour together in one place. Combined with three stages of incredible music, we are looking forward to a weekend filled with good times, good music and good food!”
Beyond the BBQ, State Fayre will offer three main stages of live music, live food talks and demonstrations, whiskey, craft beers, cocktail and non-alcoholic drinks options, boutique camping, and state fair rides and activities across the weekend.
The FUME Pit full line-up (A-Z)
- Blacksmith Smokers — Europe’s largest BBQ trailer, cooking brisket, ribs and more
- Craft and Cleaver — Brooklyn-inspired, low-and-slow American-style BBQ rooted in St Albans
- E8 Fish — expertly smoked and grilled seafood, from king prawns to lobster tails
- Ember — multi-award-winning chef James Peck’s wood-fired and ember-roasted meats
- Game and Flames — bold flame-grilled British game meats and sustainable proteins
- Ginger Wings — multi-award-winning wings from Jack Blumenthal (son of Heston), plus a brand-new smoked rib offering
- KG BBQ — Michelin Bib Gourmand, 2025 FUME Champion, Texas-Egyptian fusion from Austin
- LD’s Kitchen — London’s leading 100% vegan smokehouse
- Poor Boys — New Orleans-inspired Southern Louisiana comfort food with a smoky edge
- Rack City Ribs — 2024 FUME Champion, fall-off-the-bone ribs with Caribbean flair
- Shwings — three-time WingJam champions from Essex
- Temper — London’s iconic open-fire-pit steakhouse, serving special tacos all weekend
- The Dragon Flame BBQ — Argentinian asado with American smokehouse soul, winner of Time Out’s Best Roast in London
- Wholesome Junkies — 100% vegan comfort classics as seen on Netflix and BBC Two
- Yello Yard — authentic Jamaican jerk barbecue with proper Caribbean yard-party energy
Tickets are on sale now with payment plan options available via www.statefayre.com. Hylands Park, Chelmsford, is less than 30 minutes from London by train.
Image credits:
In this article: Hylands Park, Chelmsford, Festival Republic, Live Nation Entertainment, Kings of Leon, Alanis Morissette, The Lumineers, The Black Crowes, Counting Crows, Elvis Costello, Charlie Sexton, Skunk Anansie, Jack Savoretti, Orville Peck, Razorlight, Stephen Wilson Jr., KT Tunstall, Sierra Ferrell, Dylan Gossett, Kingfishr, Heston Blumenthal, Netflix, BBC Two, Time Out, Texas Monthly. Generated by Wikidata Schema Link Builder.
Disclosures: TheFestivals is funded through advertising and sometimes earns a commission on purchases made through links on this website, including in this article: None
Add as a preferred source