Brighton Cocktail Festival 2026: England's biggest cocktail event returns for ten days in September
Brighton Cocktail Festival returns from 18 to 27 September 2026 (credit: Brighton Cocktail Festival)
Brighton is about to pour the biggest cocktail event in the country. Brighton Cocktail Festival returns for its second year from Friday 18 to Sunday 27 September 2026, and this time it carries a new title: England's biggest cocktail festival, with a larger bar and cocktail line-up than any other city this year.
Over ten days, more than 50 of Brighton and Hove's best bars will serve over 150 exclusive festival cocktails, each priced at just £6, with alcohol-free versions at £4. One in three drinks across the festival is booze-free, so there is plenty for everyone whether or not they are drinking.
Brighton Cocktail Festival founder Harry Philippson explains what to expect from the 2026 festival and how the new app works, in this collaboration with @only.in.brighton (credit: Brighton Cocktail Festival / only.in.brighton)
How the festival works
The idea is simple and very Brighton: buy a ticket, pick your bars, and wander the city discovering standout drinks, all within walking distance of each other. Each bar creates two off-menu festival cocktails plus one non-alcoholic serve, with a limit of one festival cocktail per customer per bar, so you are encouraged to move around and try as many as you can.
Ticket holders also unlock extra events, offers and discounts across the ten days, from hotels and restaurants to cocktail ingredients for home bartenders.
Brighton Cocktail Festival, 18 to 27 September 2026 (credit: Brighton Cocktail Festival)
The man behind the festival
The festival is the work of founder Harry Philippson, who moved to Brighton and Hove after lockdown and, in his own words, was blown away by the cocktail culture he found here. His feeling was that while everyone already knew about Brighton's food scene, the city's bars, mixologists and cocktails deserved the same spotlight.
Philippson also runs Brighton Cocktail Tours year-round, taking small groups to three celebrated bars for three cocktails spanning three centuries, so the festival grew out of a genuine love for the city's scene. After a strong debut in 2025, the 2026 edition has grown to over 50 venues, taking the crown as the country's largest city-wide cocktail celebration.
Festival founder Harry Philippson (credit: Brighton Cocktail Festival)
The bars and the drinks
This year's line-up is as varied as the city itself. Named venues include the graffiti whisky bar Cut Your Wolf Loose, the 1920s-style speakeasy Bar Valentino, the bee-inspired Apiary, art gallery bar Helm and the iconic Victoria Bar at The Grand.
Brighton's bar scene has long been a favourite with critics. Time Out's Brighton expert has praised it as brilliant but underrated, calling out the value of specially crafted drinks at £6 and highlighting spots like The Plotting Parlour and Bar Valentino as ones to seek out during the festival.
More than 50 bars serve exclusive festival cocktails across the ten days (credit: Brighton Cocktail Festival)
A brand new festival app
New for 2026 is the Brighton Cocktail Festival app, available on the App Store and Google Play. Billed as a first of its kind, it lets you browse every bar and cocktail, filter by area or spirit, and build your own bespoke cocktail trails on a live map. You can also bookmark, rate and review the drinks you try, keeping track of favourites and the ones still on your list.
It turns the festival into a proper self-guided adventure, and because the trails live on beyond the ten days, it doubles as a year-round guide to the city's best bars. You can download it and find full details through the official site at brightoncocktailfestival.com.
The new festival app lets you build your own cocktail trails on a live map (credit: Brighton Cocktail Festival)
How to get tickets
Early-bird tickets are on sale now for £15 through the official festival website. A ticket is your access pass: pick a participating bar, show your ticket, and enjoy their festival cocktails at £6 each and £4 for the alcohol-free serves. The festival is strictly for over-18s, so bring ID that matches the name on your ticket.
The festival returns for its second year in 2026 (credit: Brighton Cocktail Festival)
You can find the full bar line-up and keep up with announcements at brightoncocktailfestival.com, or by following @brightoncocktailfestival on Instagram and TikTok.
With ten days, over 50 bars and more than 150 cocktails to work through, September in Brighton just became the best month of the year to be thirsty.
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