George Clooney returns to Edinburgh in 2026

Clooney returns a decade on to follow up success of Sting & Geldof

Following on from the success of last year’s event, which featured a stripped back performance from Sting and keynote from Sir Bob Geldof, this year the British Business Awards will feature a special guest appearance and conversation with award-winning actor and humanitarian, George Clooney.

The actor was given a huge welcome when he visited Edinburgh and the Social Bite coffee shop in November 2015, helping raise awareness of Social Bite and the movement to end homelessness.

In April 2026 Mister Clooney will attend a special fundraising dinner being organised by Social Bite at Gleneagles, as well as the British Business Awards, for which Social Bite are the nominated charity partner. He will discuss his career in Hollywood and humanitarian work as the co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

Alongside a conversation with George Clooney, the 2026 event will be introduced with remarks from awards patron Sir Bob Geldof and co-hosted by comedians Rob Brydon and Elaine C Smith.

Josh Littlejohn MBE, who is the event director of the British Business Awards and the founder of Social Bite, said:

“George made such an incredible impact to Social Bite when he visited our café 10 years ago and we’re honoured to have him join us again at these events which help us raise much-needed funds to help end homelessness in the UK.

“Last year’s British Business Awards were a triumph. Not only did we recognise and celebrate some of Britain’s biggest success stories, we also smashed our target and helped to raise over £1.3m for Social Bite, alongside a special fundraiser at Gleneagles Hotel. This year’s awards are set to be even more exciting, and we couldn’t be more delighted to welcome George Clooney back to Scotland.”

British Business Awards entries now open

NatWest Group will once again support this year’s awards, with the event set to attract some of the UK’s most prominent businesses. Up to 2,000 business leaders are expected to attend.

Entries to the awards are now open with a wide range of categories, including: Entrepreneur of the Year, Socially Responsible Business of the Year, International Business of the Year, Employer of the Year and Green Business of the Year. To enter, businesses are required to submit a 1000 word written application by March 13th.

For further information on the awards, or for more details on how to enter visit: www.britishbusinessawards.co.uk