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UK RumFest is the anchor of the British rum calendar
UK RumFest is the fixed point of the British rum year. Ian Burrell, a rum educator who works under the title Global Rum Ambassador, started it in London in 2007. The festival bills itself as the world’s longest running rum festival, and 2026 is its 20th anniversary edition.
UK rum festivals: when they usually run, from each organiser’s site, a Manchester listings site for Manchester’s 2026 date and the Leamington Observer for Stratford
UK RumFest
- City
- London
- Usually when
- October; 17 and 18 October in 2026
- What it is
- The consumer festival Ian Burrell founded in 2007, with more than 400 rums listed for 2026
- Organiser’s site
- rumfest.co.uk
RumFest Trade and Hospitality Day
- City
- London
- Usually when
- The Monday after RumFest
- What it is
- Trade and press day for buyers and bar staff
- Organiser’s site
- rumfest.co.uk
The Rum Show
- City
- London
- Usually when
- July
- What it is
- The Whisky Exchange’s rum festival: 300 or more rums, masterclasses and a main stage
- Organiser’s site
- therumshow.com
Manchester Rum Festival
- City
- Manchester
- Usually when
- Early July
- What it is
- One-day festival run by Dave Marsland, the Drinks Enthusiast
- Organiser’s site
- manchesterrumfestival.com
Stratford Gin & Rum Festival
- City
- Stratford-upon-Avon
- Usually when
- July
- What it is
- A summer gin and rum festival co-hosted by Shakespeare Distillery
- Organiser’s site
- shakespearedistillery.com
| Event | City | Usually when | What it is | Organiser’s site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK RumFest | London | October; 17 and 18 October in 2026 | The consumer festival Ian Burrell founded in 2007, with more than 400 rums listed for 2026 | rumfest.co.uk |
| RumFest Trade and Hospitality Day | London | The Monday after RumFest | Trade and press day for buyers and bar staff | rumfest.co.uk |
| The Rum Show | London | July | The Whisky Exchange’s rum festival: 300 or more rums, masterclasses and a main stage | therumshow.com |
| Manchester Rum Festival | Manchester | Early July | One-day festival run by Dave Marsland, the Drinks Enthusiast | manchesterrumfestival.com |
| Stratford Gin & Rum Festival | Stratford-upon-Avon | July | A summer gin and rum festival co-hosted by Shakespeare Distillery | shakespearedistillery.com |
The 2026 festival runs on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October at the conference centre at 47 Lillie Road, Fulham, in west London. The organiser lists more than 400 rums. A trade and hospitality day for buyers, bar staff and press follows on Monday 19 October.
Most pours come with the ticket. The rarest bottles are poured in 1cl tots for Golden Tot tokens, bought on top. Masterclasses come with the higher ticket tiers, while places last.
Rum festivals now run in London, Manchester and beyond
The Whisky Exchange runs the Rum Show in London each July. The 2026 show, on 10 and 11 July, listed more than 300 rums, with masterclasses, cocktails and a main stage.
The Manchester Rum Festival is run by its owner, Dave Marsland, who trades as the Drinks Enthusiast. It is a one-day festival, usually in early July. The 2026 edition, at New Century in the city centre, marked its tenth anniversary.
The Leamington Observer reported that Shakespeare Distillery and Billesley Manor Hotel co-hosted the Stratford Gin and Rum Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon on a Sunday in July 2024. Touring gin and rum festivals also visit towns across England through the summer. They pour fewer rare bottles and suit an easy afternoon of tasting.
A ticket buys small pours, not full drinks
A ticket buys entry to the floor, small tasting pours and usually a programme of talks. Producers, importers and brand ambassadors staff the stands. Ask how a rum was made and you will usually get a straight answer.
Masterclasses are the best value on the day
Masterclasses are seated sessions led by a distiller, blender or educator, built around a flight of rums. They are the easiest way to taste one house’s rums side by side. The best ones sell out early.
A day of tasting needs a plan
Read the exhibitor list before you go and mark the stands you most want to reach. Book any masterclass early. Eat properly beforehand and plan the journey home.
Planning a festival day
A week before
- What to do
- Read the exhibitor list and book masterclasses
- Why
- The best classes sell out
Before you arrive
- What to do
- Eat, and plan the journey home
- Why
- You will be tasting for hours
First hour
- What to do
- White and light rums, and the stands you most want
- Why
- The floor is quiet and your palate is fresh
Middle of the day
- What to do
- Aged and heavier rums, a masterclass
- Why
- Strength and sugar tire the palate
Last hour
- What to do
- Golden Tot pours, then stop
- Why
- Rare rums deserve a clear head
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A week before | Read the exhibitor list and book masterclasses | The best classes sell out |
| Before you arrive | Eat, and plan the journey home | You will be tasting for hours |
| First hour | White and light rums, and the stands you most want | The floor is quiet and your palate is fresh |
| Middle of the day | Aged and heavier rums, a masterclass | Strength and sugar tire the palate |
| Last hour | Golden Tot pours, then stop | Rare rums deserve a clear head |
Start with white and light rums and work towards the heavy and high-strength ones, or your palate will tire early. Use the spittoons and drink water between stands. Note a few words on each rum, because after twenty pours memory fades.
Ask every producer what was added after distillation
Ask whether anything was added after distillation. UK rules set no sweetening limit for rum, EU rules cap it at 20 grams a litre, and neither requires the sugar on the label, so the producer’s answer, and any hesitation, tells you more than the bottle does. The rum label guide sets out what a label must state.
Between festivals, rum lives in bars, clubs and competitions
Between festivals, rum lives in specialist bars, tasting clubs and competitions. Specialist rum bars hold long back bars and run their own tastings. Tasting clubs work through flights their members bring.
Competitions such as the IWSC give drinkers a rough guide to quality. None of them replaces your own palate, and tasting rum with a method helps you judge a pour on its own terms.
The rum a festival pours spans every style. A Daiquiri shows off a white rum, a Mai Tai an aged one, and a Ti’ Punch a rhum agricole.
The dates come from the organisers
RumFest’s 2026 dates, venue, rum count, tokens and trade day are from the UK RumFest site. Ian Burrell’s founding of the festival in 2007 is from the RumFest about page.
The Rum Show details are from The Whisky Exchange’s Rum Show site. The Manchester Rum Festival is run from its own site, and its 2026 date and venue were listed on manchestersfinest.com. Dave Marsland’s role is from the festival’s Rum Ramble page, and the Stratford festival was reported by the Leamington Observer in 2024.