[category]
[title]
For three days starting today, Bengaluru’s Chamara Vajra at Jayamahal transforms into the most caffeinated patch of real estate in the subcontinent. The India International Coffee Festival 2026 – IICF, to the initiated – is more packed than ever, and it has brought with it barista finalists, roasting throwdowns, and a live band to close the whole thing out on Valentine's Day.
Whether you're a specialty coffee obsessive who can talk for twenty minutes about post-harvest processing, or simply someone who'd like to see an aerial silk performance and drink something good, this festival has thought of you.
We’ve seen coffee evolve into all sorts of trends – machinery evolution, protein layers, coffee raves, fruit in your cold brew, late night cuppas – and this is a good way to make sense of them. Bengaluru, of course, is the only city that could host this without it feeling like a novelty. It’s arguably the capital of India's specialty coffee scene – home to the roasters, the cafés, the obsessives, and the growers-turned-entrepreneurs.
Why you should go
Now in its latest edition, the IICF, helmed by the Specialty Coffee Association of India (SCAI) and supported by the Coffee Board of India, has grown into something very promising for a country where chai once reigned supreme. What makes this worth your weekend beyond the obvious pull of world-class brewing competition is the way it insists on being for everyone. The Brew Bar's walk-in hourly slots mean casual visitors can participate and have a say. The panel discussions are pitched at curious consumers as well as industry insiders. You can even watch the competitions and discover the latest innovations in coffee as they happen in real time.
Today kicked off with the Indian Filter Coffee Championship finals. This was the headliner for the purists: watching elite competitors push the boundaries of a brew form that has defined South Indian mornings for generations. The inauguration follows at 4pm, with stand-up comic Sonu Venugopal bringing the laughs at 6.
Parallel to all of this, the National Brewers Cup Semis run in Stage 2 and the National Barista Semis occupy Stage 3. Whichever way you turn, someone is doing something remarkable with coffee.
The amphi theater, though, is where the more contemplative attendee will want to spend their morning. Today, it hosts Farm to Cup: Post-Harvest Processing 101, followed by a Robusta tasting session exploring different processing methods – an arguably bold choice, given how underrated Robusta remains in specialty conversations. There is also a Coffee Species Showcase with guided tasting.
Meanwhile, the SCAI Lounge's Roasting Throwdown will be making a lot of noise throughout the day, and the Brew Bar offers hourly interactive slots if you'd like to really delve into new innovations with coffee.
Saturday
Day two, Saturday, is the competition climax. The National Barista Championship Finals take place in Stage 3 from 10am, while the National Brewers Cup Finals wrap up on the Main Stage and the National Latte Art Championship Semifinal unfolds in Stage 2. If you've ever watched someone pour a rosetta into a flat white like a neurosurgeon, you'll understand why this deserves your full attention.
The afternoon in the Amphi Theater goes deep into craft: a Roasting Fundamentals masterclass on profile building, followed by manual brewing and espresso masterclasses, and a session called Inside the Coffee Vending Machine presented by main sponsor Nescafé. The SCAI Lounge hosts the Indian Cup Tasters Championship Finals in the morning and a Brewing with CAFEC session in the afternoon. The Brew Bar runs a special Instant Coffee Contest from 11am before reverting to its regular slotted format.
Sunday
The closing day on Valentine's Day, meanwhile, is the most talk-heavy of the three. The Main Stage hosts a full morning of panels and presentations, including "How Specialty Coffee is Changing India's Coffee Economy", a session on smart vending machines and the next generation of coffee consumers, and a discussion on milk innovation. Then at 4 pm: the closing ceremony, followed by a country music set from Sheridan Brass and, from 7.30pm onwards, a live performance from Mysore Xpress. Yes, it ends with a party.
Stage 3, meanwhile, wraps up with the Coffee in Good Spirits Finals, while the Amphi Theater serves up an Alternative Milk Science Lab, plus a panel on how India's coffee consumer is evolving. In the SCAI Lounge, catch a Brewer's Cup Masterclass in the morning, a South Indian Filter 101 Masterclass in the early afternoon, and the Roasting Throwdown Cupping Finals to close out the competition arc.
When: February 12-14. Doors open at 10am daily.
Where: Chamara Vajra, Jayamahal, Bengaluru.
Keep in mind: The organisers note that the schedule is subject to change. Check timings ahead of the day you visit.
Book tickets: Via BookMyShow or District.
Price: ₹399 for a single day pass, ₹999 for an all-days pass
Address: Chamundi Hotel Private Limited, Jayamahal Main Road, Jayamahal, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560006