The second annual Toronto Cocktail Festival (TCF) returns October 18 to 25, 2026, bringing a full week of cocktail events, tastings, seminars, dinners, guest shifts, neighbourhood crawls, and parties to venues across the city. It will be a showcase of the city’s immense bartending talent, with events ranging from cocktail paired brunch, seminars, “Cinq a Sept” happy hours, cocktail-paired dinners.

The festival and its attendees will once again raise a toast to the art of the cocktail, and to the vibrant culture that surrounds it. Building on a successful inaugural year, TCF has become a destination event that celebrates the city’s dynamic food-and-drink scene—one that’s powered by creativity, community, and world-class talent. Toronto’s multi-award-winning bartenders, brand ambassadors, and chefs continue to make this an exciting culinary event that gives them the spotlight they deserve—and serves up exceptional experiences for consumers, too.

Throughout the week, Toronto Cocktail Festival will spotlight the city’s bartending community alongside leading brands, local venues, and visiting talent from across Canada and beyond.  “We are proud to support and promote Toronto’s incredible cocktail community,” says Gail Nugent, publisher of The Alchemist magazine, and event producer for Toronto Cocktail Festival. “The festival brings together bartenders, venues, brands, media, and cocktail lovers for a week that celebrates the talent and creativity shaping the city’s cocktail culture.”

Tickets can be found here for all events, including the Cocktail-Paired Brunch, Neighbourhood Cocktail Crawl Series (Little Italy, Bloor Street West, Trinity Bellwoods, Queen Street West) and the Gala of Cocktails, the festival’s main event taking place Oct 23 at Waterworks Food Hall (50 Brant St), where  guests can expect music, bar bites, and more than two dozen cocktail stations hosted by local and international bartenders, including global brand ambassadors serving creative cocktails throughout the evening. This is one of Toronto’s premiere events taking place this fall.

TCF is presented by The Alchemist, a Canadian magazine devoted to the dynamic culture of craft cocktails and artisan distillers. Published since 2015 by Lodestar Media, The Alchemist is international in scope but local in focus, featuring stories about the trends, people, bars and brands that play their part in the timeless ritual of enjoying a cocktail. This beautifully designed seasonal magazine is designed as a smartly portable keepsake, and is supported online between issues. To read The Alchemist magazine, pick up a copy at bars, bottle shops, distillery tasting rooms, gourmet grocery stores and barware stores or read online.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.