ON SIDEBAR
After the drought of festivals over the last two years, it’s good to see that dates are being announced and get-togethers organized once again. Festivals are those great meeting places where people from all walks of life can get together to sample, learn, educate, understand and meet many of the movers and shakers of the rum world. New rums are launched and old ones given new life. Friends are made, favoured enemies are offered spiced rums. Distillers new and old, producers, owners, ambassadors, agents, brokers, bloggers, vloggers, writers, instagrammers, journalists, hobbyists, aficionados, podcasters, personages and the simply curious all come together to rub shoulders and have a good time to see what’s out there, what’s new and exciting.
In previous years, Pete Holland curated this schedule, but I know he’s busy now, so I’ve taken it on myself to help out for 2022, not least because I want to go to a few of them myself (perhaps even with the lovely Mrs. Caner, who professes disinterest but “might take a glotochka or two” – purely for educational purposes, you understand).
This is the best I’ve been able to come up with after some searching around. I’ve attempted to note which are trade fairs versus audience led events, and have (sorry!) mostly ignored cruises and specialty one-off affairs or cocktail-only. No doubt there’s the occasional error or omission, so if there is anything to add, delete or change, by all means shoot me a note so I can make corrections.
March
- 05-06 Craft Spirits Berlin Festival (Trade)
- 08-10 The Rum Day, Milan, Italy
- 11-12 Miami Rum Congress
- 26 Sola Rum, Food & Wine Festival, Ft Lauderdale, Florida USA
April
- 02-04 Rhum Fest Paris
- 21-24 Madeira Rum Festival (FB Post)
- 23 Australian Distillers Festival (Eventbrite)
- 29-01 Puttgarden 13th Rom & Whisky Festival, N. Germany
- 30-01 Guyana Rum Festival (FB only)
- 30 Chicago (Midwest) Rum Festival
May
- 07 Oslo Rum Festival (FB only)
- 08-10 Sugar Cane Experience Rum Day, Milan, Italy
- 14 Brisbane Rum Festival (Eventbrite)
- 15-17 ProWein Trade Fair, Dusseldorf, Germany (Trade)1
- 20-21 Gin & Rum Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland
- 21 Prague RumFest, Czech Republic
- 28 Taste of Rum – Puerto Rico Rum Festival
June
- 10 Leeds Gin & Rum Festival UK (FB only)
- 14-15 Bar Convent Brooklyn, NY, USA (Trade)
- 14-17 Bonaire Rum Week, Bonaire
- 18 Manchester Rum Festival
- 18 New York Rum Festival and Congress (10-17 is NY Rum Week)
- 18 Sherwood Park Rum Festival, AB, Canada (FB only) (added)
- 25 Jamaica Rum Festival Jamaica (updated)
- 25-26 Bordeaux Rum Festival (FB)
July
- 30.6-2 Hanse Spirits Fair, Hamburg Germany
- 04-05 Imbibe Live London, UK (Trade)
- 22-23 TWE Rum Show, London, UK
- 25-29 Tales of the Cocktail New Orleans, USA
August
- 13 Brooklyn Rum Festival, (instagram) USA (added)
- 26-27 Craft Rum Show Aberdeen, UK
- 27-28 Berlin Rum Fest Germany
- TBA Montreal International Rum Fest (Insta)(FB) (added)
September
- 02 Seattle Rum Festival
- 02-03 Nordic Rum Festival, Copenhagen (merged with WhiskyLive)
- 02-04 Finest Spirits Festival, Munich, Germany
- 04 San Francisco Rum Festival (formerly California Rum Festival North)
- 09 LA Rum Festival (formerly California Rum Festival South)
- 10-11 Craft Show Edinburgh (aka Ultimate Rum Festival)
- 17 Leeds Rum Fest UK (Eventbrite)
October
- 02-03 ShowRum Italian Rum Festival (TBA)
- 07-08 Whisky & Rum aan Zee Fest, Holland,
- 08-09 Salon du Rhum Spa, Belgium (FB)
- 10-12 Bar Convent Berlin, Germany (Trade)
- 14-15 Sugarcane Days, Hamburg, Germany (tentative)
- 16-17 The UK Rumfest, London
- 27-30 Barbados Food, Wine & Rum Festival (to be confirmed)
November
- 04-05 Danish Rum (and Whisky) Festival, Denmark
- 12-13 Miami Rum Renaissance
- 18-21 Taipei Int’l Wine & Spirits Festival
December
- 04 Caribbean Food & Rum Festival Hollywood, FL, USA (FB)
Tours / Mutiples
- Gin & Rum Festival (around the UK, various dates)
- WhiskyLive (around the world, various dates – not all have rums)
Webpages and festival sites that have not been updated for 2022, or are delayed to 2023
- Milan Rum Festival, Italy
- Cologne Spirits, Germany
- Nantes Spirits Festival (and FB), France
- Toronto Rum Fest, Canada (postponed to 2023)
- Salons des Rhums & Terroires, Toulouse, France
- Rum Love Festival, Poland (also FB) (postponed to 2023)
- Glasgow Rum Festival, UK
- London Rum Week, UK
- Taipei Rum Fest, Taiwan (FB)
- Singapore RumBellion
- ShowRum Italian Rum Festival (Oct 2-3, 2022 TBA) [FB] [Website]