Gulf Bar Show to return
Following its first edition in April 2025, the Gulf Bar Show (GBS) will host its second annual event on 30-31 March 2026.
The show will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre and will feature talks, tastings and takeovers. It will expand significantly on last year’s event, doubling its exhibition space to 8,000 square metres and welcoming more than 175 exhibitors and more than 3,000 visitors.
Last year’s event made history as the first dedicated bar and beverage trade show in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
This year’s theme is ‘The Bar Craft’, spotlighting the skill, creativity, and precision that go into making drinks, building bars, and shaping the culture around them.
“The Gulf Bar Show is about stands and showcases, of course, but it’s really about energy as well, the kind you get when the people shaping the industry are in the same room,” said show co-founder Hugo Goncalves. “This year, ‘The Bar Craft’ will come to life through immersive exhibitor activations designed to highlight technique, storytelling, hospitality, innovation, and the details that separate a good drink from a great one.”
On both days, the show will run from 12pm to 9pm, offering more than 20 seminars, workshops, and talks, and more than 12 guided tastings.
Key industry partners include Bacardi, Campari Group, Brown-Forman, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, William Grant & Sons, and Heineken. Category sponsors include Red Bull, Nude Glassware, Franklin & Sons, and Surgiva Water.
“After the first edition, I truly saw what we brought to the region and how the entire industry came together in a way that had never happened before,” added co-founder Sebouh Tato. “This year feels different in the best way possible – the trade itself is reaching out, asking what’s coming next. It’s clear that everyone understands we are doing something meaningful and important for the industry as a whole.”
Confirmed speakers include Salvatore Calabrese, Philip Duff, Lauren Mote, Ed Cottrell, Charlotte Voisey, Tristan Stephenson, and Ian Burrell.
Beyond the show, more than 20 guest shifts and events will take place across Dubai.
Diageo World Class will also host its regional final during this year’s show, while GBS will also host a joint activation with Tales of the Cocktail and its Spirited Awards.
“I am especially thrilled that Spirited Awards and Tales of the Cocktail are partnering with us, recognising and appreciating what we achieved last year,” said Tato. “Together, we are set to do even bigger and more impactful things. With major global and regional competitions such as World Class taking place, my excitement grows day after day, knowing that we have built something rooted in unity, community, and education.”
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