Charleston Cocktail Week — citywide bar festival

Charleston Cocktail Week is underway in Charleston, with a $15 pass unlocking discounted drinks at bars and restaurants through Sunday, April 26. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) Organizers call this the festival’s fifth year, and the official schedule runs from Monday, April 20, through Sunday, April 26, 2026. The event is spread across participating venues rather than a single ticketed site. (travelerofcharleston.com) The pass model is simple: show a Charleston Cocktail Week pass at a participating bar or restaurant and get a specialty-priced signature cocktail. Some venues are also offering fixed-price cocktail-and-food pairings. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) That format turns the week into a citywide crawl across Charleston’s dining districts, with organizers saying guests can visit venues in any order, during each business’s normal hours, and return to favorites more than once. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) The event grew out of Charleston’s post-pandemic restaurant recovery. In the festival’s frequently asked questions, organizers say planning began after spring 2020 shutdowns and the first Charleston Cocktail Week launched in April 2022. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) Charleston’s pitch is broader than rooftop bars and late-night lounges. Organizers say some participating locations serve breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, and the website advises reservations for pairings and weekend tables. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) The published cocktail list shows how wide that range is. Downtown venues listed this year include Oak Steakhouse on Broad Street, Élevé atop the Grand Bohemian Hotel, and By The Way, with pass prices on some featured drinks listed at $9 or $12. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) For bars and restaurants, the week is also a pricing and marketing exercise. The venue registration form tells participants to discount a signature cocktail by at least $5, and says registration for venues is free. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) The festival’s travel guide pitches Charleston as a multi-day stop, recommending at least three days and two nights, with longer stays for people trying to cover the full week. It also points visitors to walking routes, ride shares, buses and the Charleston Water Taxi for moving between neighborhoods. (charlestoncocktailweek.org) For anyone deciding late, organizers say passes can be bought before and during the event, subject to availability. The week ends Sunday, but the route is still open. (charlestoncocktailweek.org)