Tourism & Events Briefing — Belfast Whiskey Week 2026

Destination briefing · Tourism & events professionals

Belfast Whiskey Week 2026

Ireland's largest whiskey festival returns 24 July – 1 August 2026 — nine days across 28 venues, 73 ticketed events, and a programme built to welcome first-timers and connoisseurs in the same room.

9Festival days
73Ticketed events
28Venues
40+Brands at Expo

View the programme Browse tickets Whiskey Map

Festival director Paul Kane in a Belfast alleyway holding a whiskey tasting glass, wearing a Belfast Whiskey Week t-shirt

Downloads

Destination Briefing (PDF)

14-page overview for tourism boards and events professionals — headline numbers, programme pillars, sample week and venue map.

Download PDF

Events Listing (CSV)

Every published BWW 2026 event — dates, venues, prices, booking links and programme sections. UTF-8 with BOM for Excel.

Download CSV Open in Google Sheets

Press photography

High-resolution images for destination marketing, event listings and editorial use — including official EXPO and BIA Fest product graphics. Each photo can be downloaded using the button on the image or below the caption.

Press & Festival

Group toast outside The Morning Star pub during Belfast Whiskey Week with whiskey glasses and branded gift bags Download image

Belfast Whiskey Week team posing with Morning Star Irish Whiskey in a Cathedral Quarter alleyway Download image

Whiskey Expo

Belfast Whiskey Week EXPO 2026 Session 1 (12:30pm) ticket promotional graphic Download image

Belfast Whiskey Week EXPO 2026 Session 2 (5:30pm) ticket promotional graphic Download image

Belfast Whiskey Week EXPO 2026 VIP ticket promotional graphic — early access, cocktail on arrival and gift bag Download image

BIA Fest

The Academy — Growing Old Is Mandatory, But Growing Up Is Optional! — BIA Fest food and whiskey pairing event promotional graphic for Belfast Whiskey Week 2026 Download image

Daisies X Tenshi fine dining event poster — Saturday 25th July at Daisies, Belfast Whiskey Week, 6:30pm, 2 hours, £135 Download image

View all BIA Fest events & graphics →

Cocktail City

Cocktail Takeover at Common Market promotional graphic with street food imagery Download image

Cocktail City cocktail showcase card — Bourbon, tasting American whiskey with Liquid Minds at The Watson Library Bar, Belfast Whiskey Week 2026 Download image

Cocktail City cocktail-making masterclass card — tasting Bushmills Irish Whiskey at Angel & 2 Bibles, Belfast Whiskey Week 2026 Download image

View all Cocktail City events & graphics →

Distillery Days

Crowd enjoying a distillery tour and tasting session Download image

Flight of whiskey drams lined up for a Distillery Days tasting Download image

Drawing whiskey from a cask at Killowen Distillery Download image

Sheep on the Mourne Mountains hillside near Killowen Distillery, County Down Download image

Copper pot still inside Killowen Distillery on the Mourne coast Download image

Shortcross Distillery copper still and production equipment Download image

Tastings & Hospitality

Attentive audience at a whiskey briefing session in a wood-panelled Belfast room Download image

Group whiskey tasting around a table with a Belfast Whiskey Week branded hoodie visible Download image

Man tasting whiskey in a wooden booth at a Belfast pub during Belfast Whiskey Week Download image

Two women enjoying a whiskey tasting in a traditional Belfast pub during Belfast Whiskey Week Download image

Guest wearing a humorous whiskey dictionary definition t-shirt at a Belfast Whiskey Week tasting Download image

Fringe & Entertainment

Stand-up comedian Alan Irwin performing at Cavehill Comedy Club during Belfast Whiskey Week Download image

Comedy host on stage with microphone during a Belfast Whiskey Week fringe event Download image

Comedian performing on a blue-lit stage during Belfast Whiskey Week fringe programming Download image

Live host speaking into a microphone at a Belfast Whiskey Week event Download image

Programme Highlights

Vintage Bas-Armagnac bottle at the Armagnac Will Wreck Your Worldview tasting event Download image

Stacked ageing casks in a cellar at an Armagnac distillery event Download image

Mobile copper distillation apparatus at an Armagnac festival event Download image

All over town · Three times a day

Try 3 Drams

The festival's daily whiskey rhythm — three themed tastings every day at 1:30pm, 3pm and 4:30pm, rotating across three walkable Belfast venues: Seatons of Sailortown, Criterion Bar and Duke of York. Sample three whiskies for £10, or book all three sessions in a day for £30.

3Tastings per day
3Walkable venues
28Unique sessions
8Festival days
£10Per tasting
£30Full day pass

Browse all tastings

Try 3 Drams daily schedule — three themed whiskey tastings at 1:30pm, 3pm and 4:30pm across Seatons, Criterion and Duke of York, 24–31 July 2026

Browse tastings ↗

Try 3 Drams whiskey tastings collection page — sample three whiskies for £10 at walkable Belfast venues during Belfast Whiskey Week

Browse tastings ↗

Daily schedule

Download image

Plan the visit

Whiskey Map

Every festival venue on one interactive map — zoom from the regional overview down to Belfast city centre, open any venue for events and tickets, and filter by distilleries, bars, restaurants, hotels and entertainment.

51All venues
7Distilleries
2BIA Fest
4Hotels
25Bars & Pubs
6Restaurants
9Entertainment

Explore the interactive map

Belfast Whiskey Week Whiskey Map regional overview — distillery and venue clusters across Northern Ireland including Belfast and the Mourne coast

Open interactive map ↗

Belfast Whiskey Week Whiskey Map city view — venue pins across Belfast city centre with category filters for distilleries, bars, restaurants, hotels and entertainment

Open interactive map ↗

Open interactive map ↗

Regional overview

Download image

Usage & credits. Prepared July 2026 as a destination briefing for tourism-board and events professionals. Programme data from belfastwhiskeyweek.com; quotes courtesy of Paul Kane and Michael Stewart. Details subject to change. Photography and brand marks © Belfast Whiskey Week / respective distilleries — for destination-marketing reference. For media enquiries contact info@belfastwhiskeyweek.com.