The 8th edition of the biggest and most anticipated cocktail event in West Africa returns with a bigger bang than ever. This year’s theme is “Behind the Bars, Drinks & Brands’’. Guests can expect to see some of the city’s best bartenders and cocktail makers going to great lengths to bring thrilling cocktail experiences as they showcase their skills in each glass of cocktail, through competitions, and masterclasses.
Since its inception, the Lagos Cocktail Week has focused on connecting and engaging passionate cocktail aficionados, while creating a vibrant community and legacy of knowledge sharing that will help shape the future of cocktails in Nigeria. The Lagos cocktail week continues to be the leading event for cocktail culture in Nigeria, it promotes new trends and creates a much-needed platform for inspiration across a wide audience range.
This year’s festival will feature more female bartenders than ever and will focus on highlighting the work of women in the industry. The organizers of the event believe that this is a step towards making the cocktail industry more inclusive and welcoming to all people. With an African-inspired cocktail line-up, this year’s festival takes on an indigenous approach with African-influenced cocktails expressions. The 9-day event which will run from the 14th- the 22nd of October 2022, promises an even-more impressive line-up for its traditional seminars, masterclasses, amazing side attractions, and an elite guest-speaker list.
The Bar-Hop feature, which is sponsored by MasterCard this year will run all cocktail week long, featuring outstanding bars across Lagos, plus their unique African-infused signature cocktail creations. There will also be seminars, masterclasses, and cocktail experiences curated by the partner brands for guests to enjoy. Partner brands include, Absolut Vodka, Ballentine’s, Martell, Olmeca Tequila, Nestle Water, Monin, Beefeater Gin, Fayrouz, Desperadoes, Star Radler, Johnnie Walker, Singleton, Captain Morgan & Gordon’s– Other partners include Sterling Bank and the Balmoral Convention Centre.
The exclusive Cocktail Village feature, a special part of the week will take place from the 20th-21st October at the Balmoral Convention Center and will provide a more immersive experience of the cocktail culture. There will be a conference in the morning starting at 11 AM. At 3 PM, doors will open to cocktail lovers to enjoy their complimentary cocktails, networking, music, games, bar battle, and much more. The guest speakers are renowned influencers in the cocktail, bar, and beverage industry globally and they include Dr. Wale Anifowoshe, Remy Savage, Lola Pedro, and Kevin Conroy amongst others.
The festival has been growing steadily since its inception eight years ago, with over 1000 people attending the last event. This year’s festival is expected to attract even more guests due to its focus on inclusion and women in the industry and in the way that we plan to spotlight African-inspired specials.
‘’I am excited about this year’s edition and this is because the percentage of female bartenders participating in the bar battle has increased from 1%, recorded last year, ‘’said Lara Rawa, Founder, Lagos Cocktail week “We will also have African inspired cocktail menu curated by our partner bars who were specifically chosen because of their ability to curate special mixes. There will be interesting and informative masterclasses this year and we expect our partner brands to bring an experiential activity to the cocktail village. We are happy to see Mastercard empower SMEs by sponsoring the cocktail conference.”
The Lagos Cocktail Week has been designed with guests in mind: there will be good music throughout each day of the event as well as food vendors serving up delicious snacks throughout. Guests with their wristbands will enjoy three rounds of premium cocktails throughout the event, and can have more cocktails at heavily discounted rates. For people who don’t consume alcohol, no worries—there will be loads of mocktails too!
For more information on this year’s festival, kindly follow us on social media @lagoscocktail or visit our website www.lagoscocktail.com where you can also buy the #CocktailVillage wristband for full access to the LCW.
