The seaside event that will be Britain’s biggest cocktail festival this year

At the end of last summer, Brighton welcomed its very own Cocktail Festival – a seaside celebration of the city’s best bars and delectable mixed drinks.

Fans of a tasty tipple will be happy to hear that the event is returning for another round this September, and this time it will be the country’s biggest cocktail event of the year. 

Its status as the largest is down to the fact that London Cocktail Festival, which usually holds the title, is skipping a year in 2026. Still, the Sussex fezzy’s second iteration is returning with more bars in tow and a shiny new app to help you navigate all that’s on offer.

Taking place from Friday September 18 to Sunday September 27, the 10-day party is set to showcase the best of Brighton and Hove’s mixology scene. More than 50 bars are taking part this year, serving in excess of 150 cocktails created especially for the event. That means it could just be your only chance to taste any of these bespoke concoctions. 

All the venues involved in the festival are within walking distance of each other, meaning you can pop from one bar to the next on foot. Plus, festival cocktails are priced at £6 each, and alcohol-free options at £4.

As for which venues are involved, expect Time Out favourites like The Plotting Parlour, Paris Wine Bar and L‘Atelier du Vin serving custom cocktails throughout the 10-day event. Well-known chains – the likes of The Ivy, Burger & Lobster and even karaoke bar Lucky Voice – are also putting in a shift.

Brighton Cocktail Festival has launched an app ahead of its second year, which lets ticket holders bookmark, rate and review bars and cocktails. You can tick off the bars you’ve tried and make a note of which ones you’re keen to sample next. It will also offer discounts for hotels, restaurants and cocktail ingredients for the budding at-home bartenders out there.

All the bars already confirmed for the Brighton Cocktail Festival

• Apiary
  
• The Archives
  
• The Avenue
  
• Babble
  
• Bar 50ml
  
• Bar Valentino
  
• Brighton Rocks
  
• Blake’s Bistro & Bar at Artist Residence
  
• Blossoms
  
• Bohemia
  
• The Bootlegger
  
• Burger & Lobster
  
• The Canopy
  
• Carne
  
• The Chilli Pickle
  
• Cin Cin
  
• The Coal Shed
  
• The Coconut Island
  
• Coppa Club
  
• Cut Your Wolf Loose
  
• Dishoom Permit Room
  
• Drakes Hotel
  
• Drift
  
• The Flint House
  
• Fourth and Church
  
• Fumi
  
• Furna
  
• The Grand
  
• The Ginger Pig
  
• HarBAR
  
• Helm Gallery
  
• The Ivy
  
• Ivy Asia
  
• The Joker
  
• L’Atelier du Vin (Hove)
  
• Lost in the Lanes
  
• Lucky Voice
  
• Market
  
• Bar Medusa
  
• No.124 by GuestHouse
  
• Paris Wine Bar
  
• The Plotting Parlour
  
• Rockwater
  
• Rumour Has It
  
• The Salt Room
  
• Stem
  
• Tapestry

Dates and ticket prices

The booze fest will be happening from September 18 to September 27 2026. Super early bird tickets are on sale right now for just £15. Get yours on the event website here.

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