From 11 to 14 April 2026, Fiere di Parma becomes the home of BBQ Expo and Butcher Show — two events, one address, and a single ambition: to tell the full story of meat and outdoor cooking
Technique, flavour, design and open-air culture on one side; on the other, a professional arena where butcher shops, processing facilities, chefs, restaurateurs, specialist retailers, industry operators and the next generation of entrepreneurs come together around the questions that matter most to the sector right now.
Next-generation barbecues, innovative rubs and condiments, design solutions for outdoor living; plus exemplary butcher shops, professional technologies, cutting-edge packaging, training for young entrepreneurs, and a complete story of the supply chain.
From 11 to 14 April 2026, at Fiere di Parma, barbecue and the world of meat — in all its forms — take centre stage at BBQ Expo and Butcher Show, open to the general public, trade professionals and industry operators alike.
This dual event — born of the new partnership between Fiere di Parma and Area Fiera — is the destination for discovering emerging trends and the latest developments across one of Italy’s most strategically significant industries.
According to the latest data from Assocarni, the sector is demonstrating strong adaptive capacity: in 2024, the Italian beef supply chain reached 659,000 tonnes of production, up 6.3% on 2023, generating revenues in excess of €13 billion, while the self-sufficiency rate fell to 37%.
These figures reflect the vitality of a sector in transition — one that finds in Parma a new forum for dialogue, vision and growth.
“BBQ Expo, promoted by Fiere di Parma, represents a significant opportunity to build a culture of consumption grounded in quality, expertise and awareness,” says Serafino Cremonini, President of Assocarni.
“The growing popularity of barbecue in Italy is a positive development: it encourages attention to quality meat and reinforces the role of a modern, transparent supply chain. It is encouraging that an event of this scale can showcase the sector’s finest productions and skills, offering an accurate and current picture of trends and developments from farm to fork.”
BBQ Expo 2026: the stage for contemporary barbecue and outdoor cooking
After two highly successful editions in Brescia, BBQ Expo moves to Parma — Italy’s gastronomic capital and a natural home for an event that brings together technique, flavour, design and outdoor culture.
Hall 3 will present a comprehensive panorama of outdoor cooking: next-generation barbecues and smokers, advanced heat-management systems, technical accessories, innovative fuels, and rubs and spices that point the way to emerging flavour trends.
The show maintains its strong focus on outdoor living, with design solutions for exterior spaces and a food and beverage offering conceived to deliver a complete open-air cooking experience.
The programme weaves together education and entertainment. At the heart of the outdoor area, the Grill & Beer Village serves as the event’s social hub: a space where visitors can sample freshly grilled dishes, street food, craft beers and a curated selection of quality spirits.
Here, cooking becomes live performance — chefs and pitmasters at work before the crowd, turning every tasting into a story and every fire into an occasion for sharing.
Running throughout the fair, the BBQ Expo Master’s Challenge — the official KCBS competition counting towards the European Team of the Year 2026 ranking — is complemented by live cooking demonstrations, tastings and product presentations that animate the entire exhibition floor.
Butcher Show 2026: Italy’s first trade fair dedicated to the meat supply chain
Hall 5 will host the first Italian trade fair devoted entirely to the professional meat supply chain. Across more than 10,000 square metres and around 150 exhibitors, the show brings together butcher shops, processing facilities, chefs, restaurateurs, specialist retailers, industry players and aspiring entrepreneurs to engage with the defining themes of a profession in evolution.
Butcher Show gathers artisanal and industrial producers from across Italy — and increasingly from international markets — alongside the sector’s principal institutions: Assocarni, the Associazione Nazionale Macellai Italiani and Federcarni, which will animate a dedicated programme of training sessions, demonstrations, workshops and tastings.
Italian regions will present their identity products, processing techniques, traditional cuts and barbecue preparations, composing a living geography of the country’s meat cultures. The participation of the Cremonini Group, a central figure in Italy’s supply chain, further underscores the strategic weight of the sector.
“Federcarni,” states President Maurizio Arosio, “participates in Butcher Show true to its tradition of maintaining close ties with its member butchers.
By introducing butchers to a constantly evolving market — where real challenges open real opportunities for entrepreneurs willing to engage directly with consumers — Federcarni draws on collective experience to offer a space for dialogue, knowledge-sharing and forward-looking perspectives on the profession’s future. Professional competence is the true differentiator of the skilled butcher: knowing how to explain and knowing how to deliver are what build a successful business. This new Butcher Show platform provides one more opportunity to understand which direction to take to be part of the future.”
“The sector’s response to Butcher Show has been extraordinary,” says Mauro Grandi, CEO of Area Fiera. “Leading companies have come on board with real enthusiasm, and we are receiving a significant volume of accreditation requests from qualified operators across the meat supply chain.
Such strong interest at this early stage confirms the solidity of our vision and demonstrates that the market recognises Butcher Show as an authoritative, innovative platform — one genuinely capable of adding value to a sector that is strategically vital to Italy, and of creating meaningful new opportunities for professional exchange, training and development.”
“The role of a leading Food and Beverage exhibition hub,” concludes Antonio Cellie, CEO of Fiere di Parma, “is to continuously expand the boundaries of the supply chains it serves, anticipating the trends reshaping the agri-food market.
With BBQ Expo and Butcher Show, we are not simply adding a new show to the calendar: we are establishing a pivotal platform for outdoor cooking that functions as a Manifesto for the entire meat supply chain. We are connecting production, equipment, gastronomic culture, technology and emerging consumption models — including outdoor cooking, a segment growing in both domestic and professional contexts.
The partnership with Area Fiera is part of a broader strategic project that encompasses Cibus and Tuttofood, strengthens our portfolio and consolidates Fiere di Parma’s position as a strategic infrastructure for promoting Italian food excellence in international markets.”
BBQ Expo and Butcher Show together create a unique ecosystem in which barbecue culture, design, gastronomic heritage, the meat professions and industrial innovation interact naturally and productively. For the first time, these two worlds share a common space capable of speaking to diverse audiences and offering a timely, accurate picture of a sector in transformation.
For four days, Parma becomes a privileged observatory — a place where companies present their latest investments, professionals exchange knowledge and experience, and visitors can understand first-hand how tastes, techniques and consumption habits are changing.
