The world’s top 10 bar shows

Bar shows provide the perfect opportunity for all corners of the drinks industry to come together and immerse themselves in the newest developments in the on-trade.

Here’s our roundup of the world’s top 10 bar shows

From London to Las Vegas, Moscow to New Orleans, the world is full of bar shows offering a unique insight into the world of the bartending.

Through a range of exhibitions, seminars and mixing masterclasses, these events allow bartenders to engage with the brands they serve, as well as further their knowledge of the most up-to-date trends in the drinks industry.

So if you’re looking to brush-up on your bartending skills or simply take a look at the latest spirits fashion, then browse through our roundup of the world’s top 10 bar shows.

Think we’ve missed any crucial choices out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Tales of the Cocktail

One of the world’s most popular bar and cocktail shows, Tales of the Cocktail brings together the international spirits community for five days of sharing knowledge about what’s hot in bartending.

Now in its 12th year, the New Orleans-based show recently announced that it would be featuring 74 new seminars to “offer opportunities to learn about practically every aspect of the cocktail and spirits industries from some of the biggest names in the business”.

A highlight of the show is the revered Spirited Awards, which recognises the year’s best bars, bartenders, cocktail experts and writers.

This year’s Tales of the Cocktail event will take place on 16-20 July.

For more information, click here.

Boutique Bar Show

This year will mark the seventh anniversary of one of the most popular bar shows in the UK – Boutique Bar Show.

Taking place in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, the show promotes new and premium brands in the UK drinks industry through a series of tastings, talks, workshops, competitions and secret bar experiences.

This year, organisers announced that the festival would be “expanding beyond the traditional show environment” through a series of events set to take place throughout the year, in addition to the three main bar shows.

Boutique Bar show will take place in Manchester on 7 May, London on 16 and 17 September and Edinburgh on 21 October.

For more information, click here.

Top Shelf

Featuring pop-up bars and eateries, as well as the latest in cocktail technology, Top Shelf Boutique Drinks Festival welcomes both consumers and industry members to explore the boutique drinks sector.

Visitors have the opportunity to sample hundreds of premium and craft products in the boutique drinks market and also have free access to numerous talks and presentations.

A “bar safari” is also open to those is possession of a Top Shelf “passport”, entitling revelers to discounted drinks at some of Melbourne’s most established bars, such as 1806, Black Pearl, and Double Happiness.

This year’s event recently took place at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building from 9-10 February.

For more information, click here.

MICS

MICS – or the Monaco International Clubbing Show – offers the night owls of the drinks industry three days of business by day, and partying by night.

Now in its fifth year, the show sees a wide range of exhibitors across drink, design, fashion, sound and lighting entice major industry players with their products and services.

The MICS DJ Festival, which runs alongside the fair, treats visitors to performances by some of the world’s most exciting club acts.

This year’s MICS will take place on 12-14 November

For more information, click here.

London Cocktail Week

Now in its fourth year, London Cocktail Week treats both industry members and the general public to seven days of mixing master classes, discount drinks and vintage bus tours.

A celebration of London’s thriving cocktail culture, the festival will this year return to “London’s only village”, Seven Dials, in Covent Garden.

Red Routemaster vintage double decker buses are also on hand to ship wristband-wearers across the city to some of the 150 participating bars offering delicious discounted cocktails.

London Cocktail Week will take place on 6-12 October this year.

For more information, click here.

Bar Convent Berlin

Bar Convent Berlin (BCB) is one of the most eagerly anticipated bar shows in Europe, welcoming thousands of visitors from across the globe each year.

Organised by the team behind Mixology magazine, the event sees trade members take part in a multitude of tastings, panel discussions, seminars and lectures.

While the event launched in 2007 as a small boutique symposium with 16 exhibitors and 1,000 visitors, it has since grown to include hundreds of leading brands, talks from some of the industry’s foremost members and thousands of attendees.

This year’s show will return to the Station Berlin at Gleisdreick – a 140-year-old railway station – on 7-8 October.

For more information, click here.

Manhattan Cocktail Classic

Described as “part festival, part fête, part conference, part cocktail party”, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic is an annual celebration of intersection of cocktails and culture.

Spread across four days and two boroughs, the event is a combination of an extensive trade conference, cocktail masterclasses and seminars as well as discussions about cocktail culture and history.

It was first launched by a group of 13 bartenders, bar owners, writers, educators, critics, consultants, ambassadors.

This year’s Manhattan Cocktail Classic will take place on 9-13 May.

For more information, click here.

Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show

One of the on-trade’s biggest dedicated shows, the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show sees over 37,000 trade members flock to the world’s entertainment capital – Las Vegas.

While the conference aims to teach attendees how to better their businesses with a host of innovative ideas, the exhibitors’ hall offers visitors the chance to see what a host of influential brands have to offer.

This year’s Nightclub & Bar Convention will take place on 24-26 March.

For more information, click here.

Moscow Bar Show

Now in its fourth year, the Moscow Bar Show is said to “bring the most interesting elements of the bar world” together under one roof.

Last year, the fair saw 130 companies will introduce their products to 8000 visitors, while 150 training events including unique masterclasses and workshops also took place.

Workshops on bar design and management are also held at the event – described as the key event for then Russian bar industry.

This year’s Moscow Bar Show will take place on 23-25 September.

For more information, click here.

Mix & Shake

Madrid’s Mix & Shake invites distributers, caterings, wholesalers, and cocktail professionals and amateurs to learn about the latest trends in mixology and spirits.

Organisers claims that the event gives attendees the opportunity to meet, debate, teach and share knowledge regarding cocktail bartending.

This year’s Mix & Shake event will take place on 8-10 April.

For more information, click here.