TOTC unveils theme and dates for 2025
The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) has revealed the dates and theme for its 2025 festival after this year’s event generated US$24.8 million for the New Orleans economy.
The 23rd Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) festival will be held on 20-25 July 2025, focused on the theme ‘Evolve’. The event will return to The Ritz‐Carlton hotel, located in the heart of the city’s French Quarter.
“We’re thrilled to bring Tales of the Cocktail 2025 to life with the theme Evolve,” said TOTCF CEO Eileen Wayner.
“This focus demonstrates our commitment to growth and innovation in the hospitality industry, and we look forward to exploring new ideas, fostering progress, and inspiring our community to continue evolving together.”
The 2024 festival was based on the theme ‘Inspire’ and was held from 21‐26 July. More than 400 events were held at this year’s event including the inaugural Futures Lab, a series of short-format discussions covering drinks industry topics.
The 2024 event generated an economic impact of US$24.8m for the local economy, a rise of 4% on last year (US$24m). The festival also supported 215 jobs through visitor spending, participating businesses, and organisational investments. These positions are estimated to have generated an additional US$7.2m in earnings for New Orleans residents.
At this year’s Spirited Awards, held during TOTC, Colombia-based Alquímico was named the World’s Best Bar.
The 2024 TOTC conference also saw a 10% rise in the number of attendees compared with 2023, with international guests accounting for 14% of the total.
The fair welcomed visitors from countries such as Belize, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK.
In 2024, TOTC introduced a range of new sustainability initiatives, including a significant reduction of single-use plastics.
Tickets for next year’s festival will go on sale on World Cocktail Day (13 May) and The Ritz-Carlton will be offering discounted hotel rates that can be booked on the TOTC website.
The TOTC 2025 schedule, including seminar and presenter information, will be released in the coming months.
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