There is a notable return on the global calendar of bar industry events: the Ajabu Cocktail & Spirits Festival, which from March 7 to 15 will unfold between Johannesburg and Cape Town with the promise of packed venues and a growing international audience.
Ajabu Cocktail & Spirits Festival 2026
This year’s edition arrives with an expanded ambition. The festival strengthens its network of international collaborations, enhances its educational program and continues its commitment to supporting the local bar community through a scholarship initiative designed to nurture emerging talent.
Workshops, masterclasses and guided tastings will form the backbone of the program, each designed to deepen professional skills while encouraging a long-term commitment to the craft. Among the international participants are teams from bars such as Sip & Guzzle in New York, Rayo in Mexico City and Revolver in Nairobi.
Alongside Johannesburg’s leading venues — from March 7 to 10 — including Sin+Tax Bar (ranked No. 81 in The World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2025) and the Best Discovery Smoking Kills Bar, the festival will extend across the city’s vibrant bar scene before moving to Cape Town from March 11 to 15. There, tastings, educational sessions and brunch gatherings will bring together bartenders, producers and drink enthusiasts from across the continent and beyond.
A Celebration of Flavor and Drink Culture
Since its inaugural edition in 2024, founded by Mark Talbot Holmes and Colin Asare-Appiah, Ajabu has quickly established itself as a key gathering point for African hospitality. The festival highlights local ingredients while placing the continent’s bartender community at the center of the conversation.
Cape Town will host visiting teams from some of Africa’s most respected bars, creating an environment where professionals and enthusiasts can exchange ideas and perspectives. Hero from Nairobi will appear at Unclaimed, Sin+Tax will take over Tjing Tjing House and Revolver will host a guest shift at Fable. Front/Back and Bella Dolce Vita from Accra will head to The Drinkery, Sol Lounge to Nkula and Smoking Kills to Talking to Strangers.
On March 14, the city will also stage a pop-up celebration marking the 25th anniversary of the Pornstar Martini, a modern cocktail classic whose global success continues to influence bar menus.
The Ajabu Scholarships
At the heart of the festival lies the Ajabu scholarship program, an initiative dedicated to the education of emerging African bartenders. For the 2026 edition, the founding group has pledged that more than half of the scholarships will be awarded to women mixologists — a commitment that aims to broaden access while supporting the next generation of professionals across the continent.
The full program is available on the festival’s official website. The rest unfolds behind the bar, glass in hand, with a toast to South Africa’s rapidly evolving cocktail culture.
