Start here.
London Cocktail Week began in 2010, and it is moving to March
London Cocktail Week launched in 2010. Drinks International, a trade title and secondary source, reports that Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhán Payne launched it while working with Simon Difford at Difford’s Guide, and have been at its helm since.
The cocktail calendar: when each event usually runs, from each organiser’s site; Tales’ start and the 1806 date from Wikipedia (secondary)
London Cocktail Week
- Where
- London
- Usually when
- October until 2025; the next festival is in March 2027
- What it is
- Wristband festival of specially priced signature cocktails in hundreds of bars, first held in 2010
- Organiser’s site
- londoncocktailweek.com
Negroni Week
- Where
- Worldwide
- Usually when
- September
- What it is
- Bars serve Negronis and give part of the proceeds to charity, started by Imbibe in 2013
- Organiser’s site
- negroniweek.com
Tales of the Cocktail
- Where
- New Orleans
- Usually when
- July
- What it is
- The bar trade’s conference of seminars and tastings, begun as a walking tour in 2002
- Organiser’s site
- talesofthecocktail.org
World Cocktail Day
- Where
- Worldwide
- Usually when
- 13 May
- What it is
- Marks the first known printed definition of the cocktail, in 1806
- Organiser’s site
- No single organiser
Birmingham Cocktail Weekend
- Where
- Birmingham
- Usually when
- July
- What it is
- City wristband weekend
- Organiser’s site
- birminghamcocktailweekend.co.uk
Bristol Cocktail Weekend
- Where
- Bristol
- Usually when
- Autumn
- What it is
- City wristband weekend
- Organiser’s site
- bristolcocktailweekend.co.uk
| Event | Where | Usually when | What it is | Organiser’s site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Cocktail Week | London | October until 2025; the next festival is in March 2027 | Wristband festival of specially priced signature cocktails in hundreds of bars, first held in 2010 | londoncocktailweek.com |
| Negroni Week | Worldwide | September | Bars serve Negronis and give part of the proceeds to charity, started by Imbibe in 2013 | negroniweek.com |
| Tales of the Cocktail | New Orleans | July | The bar trade’s conference of seminars and tastings, begun as a walking tour in 2002 | talesofthecocktail.org |
| World Cocktail Day | Worldwide | 13 May | Marks the first known printed definition of the cocktail, in 1806 | No single organiser |
| Birmingham Cocktail Weekend | Birmingham | July | City wristband weekend | birminghamcocktailweekend.co.uk |
| Bristol Cocktail Weekend | Bristol | Autumn | City wristband weekend | bristolcocktailweekend.co.uk |
The festival ran each October until 2025, and the organisers have moved the next one to March 2027, so there is no October edition in 2026. In October 2025 Sharman-Cox and Payne announced they would acquire the festival, part of Pernod Ricard since it bought Speciality Drinks in 2021, by Drinks International’s account.
A wristband buys the festival price in every listed bar
A wristband gives access to specially priced signature cocktails in hundreds of London bars for the length of the festival, with a printed guide. Cities across Britain and abroad have copied the model.
Negroni Week turns one drink into a charity week each September
Imbibe magazine launched Negroni Week in 2013 with about 120 venues. It now runs with Campari in thousands of bars around the world. Venues serve Negronis and give part of the proceeds to charity, currently the food and drink cause Slow Food. The organisers say it has raised more than five million dollars.
It runs in September, by the organisers’ site. Taking part is as simple as ordering the featured drink at a listed venue. Bars often use the week to pour variations, such as the White Negroni or the whiskey-based Boulevardier.
Tales of the Cocktail is where the bar trade meets each July
Tales of the Cocktail is a conference for the bar trade, held in New Orleans each July. Wikipedia, a secondary source, records that Ann Tuennerman started it in 2002 as a walking tour of the city’s bars. The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, a non-profit, now runs it. The 24th conference ran on 19 to 24 July 2026 at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans.
It is a trade event of seminars, tastings and awards, and its sessions cover technique, history and the business of running a bar.
World Cocktail Day marks a definition printed on 13 May 1806
World Cocktail Day falls on 13 May. On that day in 1806, as Wikipedia, a secondary source, records, The Balance and Columbian Repository, a newspaper in Hudson, New York, printed the first known definition of the cocktail. Its editor, Harry Croswell, called it “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”. There is no single organiser: bars and brands mark the date as they choose.
British cities run cocktail weekends of their own
Several British cities run their own cocktail weekends. Birmingham Cocktail Weekend ran in July in 2026 and returns in October, and Bristol Cocktail Weekend runs each autumn, both on the wristband model. Spirit festivals sit beside them, such as the UK rum festivals in London and Manchester.
Taking part needs a wristband or a bar, and a plan
Buy the wristband early and plan a route around a handful of bars. Use the festival menu to order drinks outside your habit, and note the ones worth going back for. Check the official listings before you set off: bars sign up in advance and the best events sell out.
At home, learn the drink a week is built on. A Negroni in September, or a Daiquiri with fresh lime on World Cocktail Day, teaches one skill at a time. Making the same drink well on several occasions teaches more than rushing through a dozen.
The dates come from the organisers
London Cocktail Week’s launch, wristband and move to March 2027 are from the festival’s FAQ. Its founders and the 2025 acquisition are from Drinks International, a trade title and secondary source.
Negroni Week’s history and total are from Negroni Week. The 2026 Tales dates are from the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. The 1806 definition is set out in Wikipedia’s article on the cocktail, and Tales’ beginnings in its article on Tales of the Cocktail, both secondary. The city weekends are listed by Birmingham Cocktail Weekend and Bristol Cocktail Weekend.