The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony took place last night, with King Charles III emerging from a Tardis and a giant pyrotechnic Tunnock’s teacake rounding things off.

Scotland’s favourite marshmallow-and-meringue biscuit descended from the roof of Glasgow’s Hydro Arena at the end of an opening ceremony, which also included a large Loch Ness Monster representation backed by bagpipers and drummers for a rousing rendition of Flower of Scotland.

Glasgow previously hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014, where dancing teacakes were the stars of its opening ceremony. Scotland’s second city stepped in to host a scaled-back games after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as hosts in 2023.

George Black, chair of Glasgow 2026, said: “Businesses, artists, schools, volunteers, partners, neighbours and the people of Glasgow came together with one shared belief: that the Commonwealth Games matter and that the world deserves to experience them.”

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Tunnocks will be one of many Scottish brands hoping for a boost during these games. It recently revealed plans to extend their landmark factory to help cope with surging international demand for their treats.

The family run bakery, famed for teacakes and caramel wafers, have been based in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, for decades.

The 135-year-old business hopes to create a new packaging store at the factory. They insist it will ‘future-proof’ the site due to increased demand for their products worldwide.

Tunnocks was recently bested by McGhee’s Bakery as it was named Scotland’s most-chosen Scottish brand for 2026.The Glasgow-based bakery topped the Worldpanel by Numerator Brand Footprint ranking after recording the strongest growth in Consumer Reach Points, rising 20.4 per cent to 16.63m.

The bakery finished ahead of some of Scotland’s best-known grocery names, including Irn-Bru, Tunnock’s, Graham’s The Family Dairy and Simon Howie.

Image credit: Isabel Infantes/Reuters