The World’s Premier Drinks Conference Is Back
New Orleans has never needed much of an excuse to throw a party, but when Tales of the Cocktail rolls into town every July, it becomes something else entirely. The 24th annual Tales of the Cocktail is set for July 19 through 24, 2026, headquartered once again at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans. Tickets went on sale May 13, and if history is any guide, serious attendees won’t wait around.
This isn’t a trade show. It isn’t a cocktail bar crawl. Tales of the Cocktail is the kind of event where the person pouring your drink in the morning might be the same person delivering a seminar on fermentation science in the afternoon. It draws professionals, enthusiasts, and industry heavyweights from across the globe into one city for a week that manages to be both deeply educational and genuinely fun.
The theme for 2026 is Spark — chosen to reflect those moments, ideas, and chance encounters that push an entire industry in a new direction. Charlotte Voisey, Executive Director of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, put it plainly: “Spark is about the energy that moves our industry forward, whether that comes from innovation, collaboration, mentorship, or bold new ideas.”
How to Get In and What It Costs
Tickets come in several formats. Daily passes and full weekly passes are available, along with discounted bartender passes for working industry professionals. Cocktail tour tickets are sold separately. Every attendee, regardless of which ticket type they purchase, needs a Festival Entry Pass — it’s either bundled with ticket purchases or can be bought on its own. Everything runs on a first-come, first-served basis, so there’s no benefit to waiting…