This summer, Cocktails in the City returns to Bedford Square Gardens, bringing together the capital’s most exciting bars for London’s greatest cocktail festival.
Across 2nd - 4th July and 6th - 8th August, the historic private garden in Bloomsbury will transform into a vibrant village of pop-up cocktail bars, where some of London’s most celebrated bartenders will serve luxury cocktails for £10.
Just moments from Oxford Street, the festival offers a rare chance to experience many of the city’s most sought-after bars in one place - meeting the talent behind the drinks and discovering new favourites along the way. Each participating bar creates a bespoke festival menu, giving guests the opportunity to explore a wide range of cocktail styles, from refined hotel-bar classics to inventive serves from cult neighbourhood spots.
Experiences for 2026
The Cocktail Collectives: The Cocktail Collective introduces a series of curated drinks experiences created by Cocktails in the City. Each Collective brings together leading bars and spirit partners around a shared concept, offering a closer look at the ideas shaping modern cocktail culture. Each Collective creates its own distinct moment of discovery within the wider festival.
The Bartenders' Edit: Every bartender has a list of places they'd send a friend. This Collective turns that insider knowledge into a curated drinking experience - a rare chance to discover the bars that the industry itself returns to, time and again.
Coffee Cocktails: The espresso martini put coffee cocktails on every menu in the country. But the conversation has moved on. This Collective explores what comes next: cold brew highballs, fermented coffee spirits, cascara and beyond - a showcase for the bartenders pushing the category into genuinely exciting territory.
The Pan Asian Collective: From Japanese whisky highballs to Southeast Asian-inspired sours, pan-Asian influence is one of the most compelling forces in contemporary cocktail culture. This Collective brings together bars and spirit partners who are doing it with real craft and authenticity.
UK Rums Showcase: British rum is having a moment. A new generation of distillers, from the Caribbean-heritage producers who have been here for decades to the wave of newer craft operations, are making a compelling case for rum as the UK's most exciting spirit category. This Collective puts the best of them in one place - distillers, blenders and bartenders who are rewriting what British rum can be.
The Mexican Collective: Tequila and mezcal need little introduction. But Mexican drinking culture goes far beyond the agave giants, and this Collective is a celebration of its full breadth, from the bartenders who have made Mexican spirits the backbone of their menus, to the producers and expressions that are still finding their UK audience.
Things to do: Cocktails in the City offers a full programme of experiences celebrating cocktail craft and culture. Guests can join cocktail workshops mastering the margarita, tasting sessions and masterclasses led by respected bartenders and producers, while the garden comes alive with entertainment including a DJ-led silent disco, live music on the mainstage, plus a full programme of competitive socialising woven throughout the festival. Guests can take on friends and strangers alike across pétanque with Boulebar, table tennis, and cornhole.
The Food Village: A new food village brings a dedicated dining offer to the festival for the first time - a curated selection of London chefs and restaurants serving small plates inspired by cuisines from across the globe.
Event Features:
Pop-up village of 20 of London’s Best Bars
DJ-led Silent Disco and Live Music On Stage
Cocktail Masterclasses & Tasting Rooms
Competitive Garden Games: Pétanque, Table Tennis, Cornhole & More
Food Village: Small Plates from Local Chefs & Restaurants
Confirmed bar line-up so far:
Ognisko - Sabine - Hutong - Gong Bar - Holborn Dining Room - Boulebar - Mandrake Hotel - Laki Kane - Aqua Kyoto - Chotto Matte - San Carlo -
Event Information:
Location: Bedford Square Garden, London WC1B 3ES
Dates: 2-4 July & 6-8 August 2026
Tickets: General admission tickets start from just £17 and are available via www.cocktailsinthecity.com
