San Diego Spirits Festival Returns to La Jolla for Its 17th Year

Part of the fun of the San Diego Spirits Festival is discovering what is being poured before settling into a favorite.

For 2026, the festival expects more than 60 premium spirits brands and participating partners, ranging from internationally recognized labels to boutique tequila, mezcal, rum, gin, whiskey, and cognac producers.

The developing 2026 culinary lineup includes Gossip Grill Catering, Nellsy Kitchen, Rosemaries Burgers, Zoya La Jolla, Dave & Buster’s, and Piazza 1909 La Jolla, with additional culinary partners expected to be announced as September approaches.

The breadth of the lineup gives guests a chance to move beyond familiar bottles and compare styles within individual categories. Tequila and mezcal fans will have plenty to explore, while whiskey, rum, gin, and cognac drinkers can use the afternoon to discover producers they may not ordinarily encounter at their neighborhood bar.

And for those who prefer their introduction in cocktail form, participating brands will be mixing drinks designed to show what their spirits can do beyond a simple pour.

Come Hungry Too

Cocktails may get top billing, but the San Diego Spirits Festival has always understood one fairly important rule of spirits tasting: food is essential.

The developing 2026 culinary lineup includes Gossip Grill Catering, Corriente La Jolla, Nellsy Kitchen, The Old Spaghetti Factory, and Primos Mexican Food & Cantina, with additional culinary partners expected to be announced as September approaches.

That mix should give guests plenty of opportunities to take a break between tastings while sampling dishes from familiar San Diego names and newer culinary participants.

The food component also adds another layer to the festival experience. Spirits behave differently alongside food—a smoky mezcal can shine against something savory or spicy, aged tequila becomes more complex with richer flavors, and rum or cognac can be surprisingly well suited to sweeter bites.

Additional chefs and culinary partners are still being finalized, giving returning guests another reason to watch the lineup as the festival approaches.

A Festival Built for Discovery

For anyone who tends to order the same cocktail every weekend, this may be the occasion to break the habit.

The festival format allows guests to speak directly with brand representatives, learn more about how spirits are produced, sample unfamiliar expressions, and compare different styles without committing to an entire bottle.

It also gives smaller producers an opportunity to share the floor with names guests may already recognize.

That combination of established brands and discoveries has helped the San Diego Spirits Festival remain relevant through 17 years of changing drinking trends. Tequila and mezcal have become significantly more sophisticated categories, premium rum continues to attract new attention, and consumers increasingly want to know where a spirit comes from and how it was made.

Here, they can ask.

Festival Details

The 17th Annual San Diego Spirits Festival takes place Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla.

Guests can expect unlimited tastings and craft cocktails from more than 60 spirits brands, along with culinary offerings, live music, entertainment, brand experiences, and Pacific Ocean views.

The event is for guests 21 and older.

Additional participating spirits brands, chefs, culinary partners, cocktail experiences, and programming will continue to be announced in the weeks leading up to the festival.

For tickets and the latest festival information, visit the official San Diego Spirits Festival website.

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