Seattle Cocktail Week — Carnival of Cocktails

Seattle Cocktail Week is running across Seattle through Sunday, April 26, with its biggest public event set for Saturday at Pacific Place downtown. (seattlecocktailweek.com) The week began April 19 and mixes public bar events with industry programming, including the three-day Bartender’s Circle Summit and a Sunday opening-night Speed Rack competition at Pacific Place. (seattlecocktailweek.com) Carnival of Cocktails runs Saturday, April 25, from noon to 7 p.m. at Pacific Place, 600 Pine Street, and organizers say this year’s event spreads across four floors of the mall. (seattlecocktailweek.com) Seattle Cocktail Week has used different venues over the years, but Seattle Refined reported that 2026 marks a downtown shift to Pacific Place, where a 70-foot-wide LED screen and multiple mall levels are part of the setup. (seattlerefined.com) A Carnival ticket includes a tasting glass and 12 tasting tokens, and Seattle Refined said attendees can sample pours from more than 100 spirit brands. (seattlerefined.com) The event also includes themed bars, brand activations, food pop-ups, live entertainment and short “Learning Lab” sessions. The official lineup lists six Saturday seminars, including talks on pisco, sake and agave from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (seattlecocktailweek.com) Seattle Cocktail Week is pitching the festival to more than one audience. Its public site targets cocktail fans, while a separate industry track says the week is also for bartenders, spirits brands and hospitality workers looking for training and networking. (seattlecocktailweek.com 1) (seattlecocktailweek.com 2) Nonalcoholic drinks are part of the program too. The event listings include a Bartender’s Circle Summit session on the “functional future” of nonalcoholic cocktails led by Lynnette Marrero on April 20. (seattlecocktailweek.com) Organizers say part of the ticket revenue supports Healthy Behind the Bar, a Seattle nonprofit that provides health, dental and mental health help for hospitality workers through resources and microgrants. (seattlecocktailweek.com) The practical details are straightforward: Carnival of Cocktails is a 21-and-over event, re-entry is allowed across the Pacific Place spaces, paid parking is available in the garage, and extra tasting tickets can be purchased on site. (seattlecocktailweek.com) For Seattle drinkers, the week ends Sunday, April 26. For downtown, Saturday’s Pacific Place takeover is the clearest snapshot of what the event has become: part tasting hall, part bar crawl, part trade gathering. (seattlerefined.com)