About

Belfast Whiskey Week 2026

Belfast does whiskey, food, cocktails, culture and craic properly. Yeooo!

Belfast Whiskey Week is the big one: a full-on, city-wide whiskey takeover that turns Belfast into a global whiskey hotspot every summer.

For 2026, the week gets even bigger, bringing together Belfast Whiskey Week, BiaFest, Belfast Cocktail City and Belfast Fringe for one huge celebration across the city and beyond.

Expect whiskey tastings, rare pours, food events, cocktail nights, music, comedy, culture, late bars, distillery days, meet-the-maker sessions and proper Belfast hospitality.

Visit Belfast Whiskey Week  |  Visit BiaFest  |  Visit Belfast Cocktail City  |  Visit Belfast Fringe

Belfast Whiskey Week

Belfast does whiskey properly.

Belfast Whiskey Week welcomes thousands of guests each year, with visitors travelling from Ireland, the UK, the USA, Europe and beyond to experience Belfast as a true whiskey city.

At the heart of it all is the Whiskey EXPO: one roof, loads of distilleries, rare pours, big chats and a chance to meet the makers behind some of the most exciting whiskey brands around.

But the EXPO is only the start.

A whole week. A whole city. Zero chill.

Across the week, events spill into proper pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, clubs, late-night venues, historic spaces, galleries, cultural venues and distilleries across Belfast and Northern Ireland.

Whiskey tastings and rare pours

Distillery days and maker-led sessions

Food pairings, lunch events and chef-led experiences

Cocktail nights, early mixes and late-night sessions

Trad music, DJs, comedy, culture and fringe moments

Art, poker, stories and proper Belfast craic

BiaFest

Food, flavour and Belfast hospitality.

BiaFest celebrates the food side of the week, with special menus, food pairings, local produce, chef-led events and brilliant Belfast venues serving up something special.

Belfast Cocktail City

Shakers up. City lit.

Belfast Cocktail City celebrates the bars, bartenders and drinks culture that make Belfast such a brilliant night out, from signature serves and bar takeovers to early mixes, late mixes and late-night sessions.

Belfast Fringe

Craic agus Ceol. Comedy, culture and more

Belfast Fringe brings live music, comedy, culture, performance, art and unexpected moments into the week, giving the festival a wider cultural heartbeat across the city.

What to expect across the week

The full programme is still rolling out, but expect Belfast to feel alive from lunch through to late night, with different festival moments happening across the city each day.

Daytime: walking tours, food events, whiskey tastings, fringe moments and city exploring.

Evening: food pairings, cocktail sessions, pre-dinner drams, comedy, music and culture.

Late night: late bars, Cocktail City sessions, DJs, trad nights and nights you will remember.

A festival people travel for

This is not just a local thing anymore. Belfast Whiskey Week brings visitors into the city, fills hotels, bars and restaurants, supports local venues, champions independent makers and shows Belfast at its absolute best.

It is whiskey, food, cocktails and culture, but really it is about hospitality, stories, energy and that uniquely Belfast buzz you cannot fake.

Come for the whiskey. Stay for the food, cocktails, music, comedy, culture and craic.

Drink responsibly. Have the craic.