Venice Cocktail Week – October 21st-25th – Venezia

Testo di redazione popEating, 24 settembre 2026, News

Venice Cocktail Week 2026: 5 years of great mixology along the canals of the Serenissima

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Tempo di lettura:4 minuti

From October 21 to 25, 2026, the Venetian Lagoon once again turns its spotlight on high-end mixology with the fifth edition of the festival created and directed by Paola Mencarelli. Five days packed with cocktail bars, luxury hotel lounges, pop-ups, and masterclasses.

Five years of research, elegance, and mixology culture in one of the most fascinating settings in the world. Venice Cocktail Week is preparing to celebrate its fifth anniversary, running its fifth edition from Wednesday, October 21 to Sunday, October 25, 2026. Organized and directed by Paola Mencarelli with the patronage of the City of Venice, in collaboration with Venezia Unica and supported by Vela, the festival reaffirms its central role in the international scene of conscious and quality drinking.

An essential date for the Lagoon, as highlighted by the creator and artistic director herself:

Venice Cocktail Week confirms itself as a central event for showcasing the excellence of the lagoon. As in previous years, the 2026 edition aims to grow the city's mixology scene, placing conscious and quality drinking culture at its heart. VCW is an independent project, conceived as a meeting point and forum for discussion on current and future trends in the world of mixology, aimed at newcomers, enthusiasts, and industry professionals alike.

Paola Mencarelli, Creator and Artistic Director of Venice Cocktail Week

Over the years, the event has forged a strong bond with the urban fabric and local institutions, becoming a strategic asset for the city, as noted by the municipal administration:

The fifth edition of Venice Cocktail Week is an important and significant milestone for an event that has grown, established itself, and gained an increasingly recognized international standing. Venice focuses on initiatives capable of generating value and engaging a qualified, aware, and respectful audience. Venice Cocktail Week fully embodies this vision because it does not 'consume' Venice, but tells its story through credibility and care.

Simone Venturini, Mayor of Venice

A virtuous model of development confirmed from the perspective of both city management and high-end hospitality:

Venice Cocktail Week represents a virtuous example of how Venice can attract initiatives capable of generating value for the hospitality supply chain and the urban fabric. Over five editions, the event has built a solid professional ecosystem, connecting expertise, high-level venues, and an engaged audience.

Fabrizio D’Oria, General Manager of Vela Spa

Hosting Venice Cocktail Week means continuing a dialogue that places emphasis on the culture of conscious drinking, understood as an experience of sharing, research, and innovation. It is an event that celebrates fine drinking through a deep sense of hospitality.

Licinio Garavaglia, Director of Aman Venice

The Format: 5 High-Intensity Days

Confirming the dynamic, streamlined format introduced in 2025, the festival will take place over five days. A strategic choice designed to focus the experience, guiding cocktail enthusiasts, newcomers, and industry insiders through an experiential journey across the city's top selected Hotel Bars and Cocktail Bars.

Each of the Selected Bars will feature an exclusive VCW26 Drink List comprising three bespoke creations crafted by resident bartenders:

VCW26 Signature Cocktail: A free-style creation showcasing the bartender's creativity and skill.
Midday Aperitivo: A fresh, low or non-alcoholic (Low or No-ABV) drink designed to celebrate the great Venetian tradition of the noon aperitif, ideal when paired with a traditional cicchetto.
VCW26 Classic Cocktail: A reinterpretation or celebration of classic mixology.

A Visual Identity Honoring the Lagoon

To mark the fifth anniversary, the event's historic visual identity — featuring the iconic logo designed by Piero Lissoni / Lissoni&Partners (inspired by Marino Lucchetti's drawing of a Martini glass transforming into a gondola) — evolves with new graphic shades. Alongside the traditional Brocade Red, linking to Venice's historic textile craft, two new shades debut: Antique Oak, paying homage to the silent wooden piles supporting the Grand Canal palaces, and Champagne Gold, depicting understated, whispered luxury.

Events, Pop-Up Bars, and Gastronomy

The event's rich program features masterclasses, international guest shifts, cultural events, and Pop-Up Bars hosted by sister events in the Italian Cocktail Weeks network (Florence Cocktail Week, Tuscany Cocktail Week, Cortina Cocktail Weekend, and Amalfi Coast Cocktail Week).

Signature culinary cross-over programs also return: “Dining with the Spirits” and “Pastry with the Spirits”, where Venetian chefs and pastry chefs incorporate spirits into special dishes, tasting menus, or dedicated event nights. Highlighting the key figures of the local mixology scene are the artistic portraits by acclaimed photographer Veronica Gaido for the bartenders and Michele Tamasco for the signature drinks.

Selected Bars & Event Partners of VCW26

HOTEL BARS

Alchemia Bar, Ca’ di Dio
Arts Bar, The St. Regis Venice
Bar Biblioteca, Nolinski Venezia
Bar Dandolo, Danieli, Venezia, A Four Seasons Hotel
Blue Bar, Excelsior Hotel Resort Lido di Venezia
Boutique Lounge, Santa Croce Boutique Hotel
Experimental Cocktail Club, Il Palazzo Experimental
Herbarium, NH Collection Venezia Grand Hotel Palazzo dei Dogi (New for 2026)
Heureka Chic Bar, Hotel Heureka (New for 2026)
Il Caravellino, Hotel Saturnia & International
Il Piccolo Bar, Violino d’Oro
K Lounge Bar / Terrazza Gabrielli, Hotel Gabrielli Venezia - Starhotels Collezione (New for 2026)
Lord Byron, Palazzo Keller
Orientalbar & Bistrot, Hotel Metropole Venezia
Palladio Bar, Airelles Palladio Venice (New for 2026)
Skyline Rooftop Bar, Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
The Bar at Aman Venice, Aman Venice
The “G” Lounge & Garden Bar, Hotel Nani Mocenigo Palace
Venice Collection: Il Porto Lounge Bar, Palazzo Veneziano / The Mask Lounge & Garden, Carnival Palace (New for 2026)
Venixino Lounge & Garden, Donà Palace
Wagon Bar, Orient Express Venezia (New for 2026)