The whisky festival is a rite of passage these days. Are you even a true whisky drinker if you haven’t stood in a room full of people fighting for the last remnants of an under-the-counter rumour, Glencairn glasses spilling over with aspiration and adventure?
From masterclasses to musical guests, the calendar is positively bulging with opportunities to share the joys of the water of life with fellow whisky lovers. The culture stretches all over the world, from Scandinavia to Australia, New Orleans to Mozambique.
There’s really nothing like them. But which one to go to? Here’s the best whisky festivals happening in 2025 around the world that you can’t miss.
Anyone for the world’s largest floating whisky fair?
Arctic Whisky Festival
Date: 11 January 2025
Location: Scandic Ishavshotel, Tromsø, Norway
Highlights: Celebrate at the world’s northernmost whisky festival amidst the Arctic backdrop in the Paris of the North. I picture it being like the ice palace in Die Another Day.
Viking Cinderella Whisky Fair
Date: 16–18 January 2025
Location: Viking Line, Stockholm, Sweden
Highlights: If a maritime whisky adventure aboard the Viking Cinderella featuring a vast selection of whiskies and masterclasses doesn’t appeal to you, then nothing will.
WhiskeyFest, Amsterdam
Date: 18 January 2025
Location: Hollandsche Manege, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Highlights: Enjoy a diverse range of whiskies in a historic venue in a brilliant city. Again, we’re ticking every box here.
Former team MoMer Tiph pours a dram at the Fife Whisky Festival
The Village Whisky Fair
Date: 15–16 February 2025
Location: Nuremberg, Germany
Highlights: The Village Whisky Fair blends a warm atmosphere with a mix of local and international whiskies, including rare German releases and masterclasses.
Winnipeg Whisky Festival
Date: February 28 – March 1, 2025
Location: Winnipeg, Canada
Highlights: An extensive selection of whiskies paired with local culinary delights makes the Winnipeg whisky carnival a calendar highlight.
Fife Whisky Festival
Date: 28 February – 2 March 2025
Location: Fife, Scotland
Highlights: A fantastic, relatively new celebration of Scotch whisky, the Fife Whisky Festival is dripping with passion as well as tastings, live music, and engaging masterclasses.
New Orleans is always fun. Add bourbon and…
New Orleans Bourbon Festival
Date: 19–23 March 2025
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Highlights: New Orleans + bourbon = a good time. Celebrate bourbon with tastings, pairings, and a focus on the rich heritage of Southern hospitality.
Whisky Live London
Date: 28–29 March 2025
Location: London, United Kingdom
Highlights: One of the UK’s premier whisky events, and one this writer is a very enthusiastic regular attendee of. Great whiskies and stories are found everywhere you turn.
Australian Whisky Show
Date: 26 April – 18 October 2025
Location: Sydney, Melbourne and across Australia
Highlights: Raise a glass to the world’s booming whisky industry and get a taste of how good things are going Down Under with tastings from leading local distilleries and global brands. There’s a host of different festival dates across most major cities in the country.
The crowds at Bruichladdich at Fèis Ìle 2022
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival
Date: 30 April – 5 May 2025
Location: Speyside, Scotland
Highlights: A sublime festival that sprawls across Scotland’s most populous whisky region that boasts incredibly unique events and the greatest array of distilleries at any festival.
Fèis Ìle – Islay Whisky Festival
Date: 23–31 May 2025
Location: Islay, Scotland
Highlights: The most famous whisky festival in the world? What else is there to say about the iconic Islay Festival these days, which is beloved for its distillery open days, music, and showcasing of the island’s rich cultural heritage.
Mozambique Wine and Whiskey Festival
Date: June 2025 (Exact dates TBA)
Location: Maputo, Mozambique
Highlights: Going to a whisky festival in Maputo, Mozambique demonstrates how wide this whisky world stretches and we love it. See how African whisky distilleries are making their moves alongside global spirits and wines.
Pendleton Whisky and Music Festival
Date: 12 July 2025
Location: Pendleton, Oregon, USA
Highlights: Perhaps the whisky festival that most resembles a classic music festival, Pendleton blends whisky tastings with a lively music lineup for an extravaganza full of entertainment and culture.
WhiskyLive Paris
Date: 27-29 September 2025
Location: Paris, France
Highlights: I can say from experience, that this festival is dizzyingly big. It has everything, from a huge selection of whisky brands to a comprehensive section for other spirits like Cognac and rum, exceptional food stalls, and a superb French whisky section.
The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show
Date: 3–5 October 2025
Location: Old Billingsgate, London, United Kingdom
Highlights: The UK’s largest whisky bonanza, featuring over 1,000 whiskies and spirits, masterclasses, and exclusive tastings. I’ve never heard of these guys but I’m sure they’re swell.
English Whisky Festival
Date: 22 November 2025
Location: The Bond, Birmingham, England
Highlights: England’s emerging whisky distilleries get a platform to show why they are being taken seriously alongside international favourites in a charming location.
