LONDON – This April, The London Coffee Festival celebrates its 10th birthday with four fabulous days at Brick Lane’s Truman Brewery. Featuring artisan coffee, tastings & demonstrations from world-class baristas, immersive workshops, cocktails, street food, live music, DJs, art exhibitions, beauty and wellness, panel talks, a ten-tier birthday cake PLUS a whole lot of FREE coffee…. the party is ON!
The London Coffee Festival has grown to become Europe’s largest gathering of coffee enthusiasts and the tenth anniversary year is set to be the biggest celebration yet! With over 250 exhibitors and 35,000 coffee lovers expected to attend – this is an unmissable, multi-sensory event for anyone crazy about London’s vibrant coffee scene and its creative subcultures.
This year will also see the roll-out of a new sustainability programme – complete with surprise perks for visitors that bring their reusable cups – so you can be sure you’re celebrating responsibly.
Remember life before smooth long blacks and glossy flat whites? No, we can’t either but whether you’re a coffee pro or an average Joe the festival offers something for everyone…
Taste artisan coffees from around the world and meet the baristas and roasters at the forefront of the specialty coffee scene. Dive into the awe-inspiring, Insta-friendly world of Latte Art Live, watching world-class specialists in action – expect throwdowns, showcases and hands-on workshops.
Coffee geeks take your seat and get ready to be amazed as Coffee Masters™ returns! This prestigious competition takes coffee to the highest level. 16 of the world’s top working baristas will go head-to-head over four days of competition for the coveted title of Coffee Master and a cheque for £5,000. It’s the ultimate test of skill, innovation and creativity and – let’s face it – a real crowd pleaser!
Brand new for 2020 is the people’s choice, London’s Best Coffee Shop Awards – think your local coffee shop deserves to win? Applications open soon and everyone who votes get the chance to win a year’s free coffee at their nominated shop, courtesy of the London Coffee Festival. Winners will be announced at the festival and one representative from each coffee shop will get flown to Brazil to attend the launch of the Sao Paulo Coffee Festival!
Want to get into the nitty gritty of the coffee scene? Want to learn how to make the perfect coffee cocktail at home? Considering a career in the coffee industry? Pop by The Lab for an exciting line-up of live interactive demonstrations, workshops, talks with industry pioneers and sneak peeks at the latest production innovations. With inclusivity and diversity at the core of the programme, there’s plenty of opportunity to learn about the industry, from bean to cup and everything in between.
To get you in the party spirit, there’s an incredible line-up of London’s most exciting musicians and DJs. Dance and socialise with an espresso martini in hand, shaken up with Kahlua and Löftbergs Cold Brew. The Bar is open all festival long, so make a pitstop for a quality cocktail at any time BUT the first 50 people to bring a reusable cup each day will receive a FREE espresso martini!
Life is all about balance, so this year there are heaps of new and exciting beauty and wellness immersive features. Festival goers looking to cool the caffeine buzz must try the multi-sensory Mindful Coffee Tasting experience. Learn to appreciate coffee in a brand new, mindful way – with meditation brought to you in partnership with Just Breathe.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday without a cake! Saturday will see a surprise special guest celebrity baker creating and cutting a whopping ‘ten- tier for ten years’ coffee cake masterpiece!
With so much on offer, the festival is the perfect weekend hangout, so bring your mates, a date or fly solo and get ready to immerse yourself in London’s world-renowned coffee scene.
Jeffrey Young, Founder of The London Coffee Festival, says: “The London Coffee scene has changed dramatically over the last ten years, but one thing is for sure, London loves coffee more than ever! We have a fantastic packed programme for this, our tenth year and our birthday wish is for festival goers to join us ready to party, armed with their own reusable cups in an effort to help save our planet whilst enjoying everything the festival has to offer!’
For its 10th anniversary, The London Coffee Festival will launch Stage One of its new Sustainability Scheme in its mission to fully implement a Zero Waste festival strategy by 2024. This year the festival will require exhibitors to use compostable packaging only, reward visitors for bringing their reusable cups, and operate a comprehensive composting and upcycling scheme throughout the site.
The festival is a unique opportunity for branded coffee chains, roasters, independent cafes,, roasters and industry suppliers to collaborate and celebrate the success of the industry while giving back to an extremely worthy cause. 20% of ticket sales are donated to Project Waterfall, which helps deliver clean water projects in coffee-producing countries around the world. Last year, over £120,000 was raised at The London Coffee Festival.
Thursday and Friday sessions are reserved for trade only. On Saturday and Sunday, there are brunch, lunch, teatime and VIP full day sessions. To purchase tickets or for more information on what’s on, visit www.londoncoffeefestival.com.
