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London Cocktail Week plans month-long event for 2020
The 2020 edition of London Cocktail Week will take place this year, organisers have confirmed, and will run for the whole month of October.
London Cocktail Week 2020 will take place as a month-long event in October
This year’s festival has garnered support from four spirits firms – Brown-Forman, Diageo, Edrington-Beam Suntory and Moët Hennessy – along with the backing of 26 individual brands in a collective effort to reinvigorate the London on-trade following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Numerous events in the drinks trade have been forced to cancel this year due to the coronavirus crisis. London Cocktail Week 2020 organisers have implemented several changes to this year’s festival due to the effects of the pandemic.
The Cocktail Village will not feature in this year’s event. Instead, focus will be directed towards supporting partnering venues that are often small owner-operated establishments who have been severely hit by the pandemic.
London Cocktail Week will work to “bolster consumer confidence, support responsible operators and reignite supply chains” through £6 cocktail tours, in-venue brand activations and an additional at-home element.
The on-trade in England was forced to close on 20 March and was not permitted to reopen until 4 July.
Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne, London Cocktail Week co-owners and organisers, said in a joint statement: “We’ve worked tirelessly for a decade to put our city firmly on the map as the cocktail capital of the world and we now occupy a unique position as the conduit between drinks brands, bars and thousands of consumers.
“As such, we feel it is our duty to use our platform and our voice to provide a solid, trusted foundation to support small businesses within our trade, and help get the London bar scene back where it should be.
“We feel hugely grateful for the incredible backing of this mission from our sponsors and believe that London can act as a blueprint to show other major cities around the world what can be achieved when an industry shows a united front in the face of adversity.”
London Cocktail Week celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. The 2020 event has received support from the Mayor of London’s office.
Amy Lamé, night czar for the Mayor of London, added: “London’s bars and pubs are at the heart of life in the capital.
“They are community hubs as well as important local employers, so I’m really pleased that this festival can play its part in rebuilding the hospitality industry in the weeks and months ahead.”
London Cocktail Week is now in its 11th year