Back for the fourth year on the bounce, Maybe Cocktail Festival returns to Sydney from 14-19 April, attracting 25 of the globe’s most talked-about bars and bartenders and offering a rare chance to drink some of the world’s best libations, without leaving the city.

Among the bars attending this year are Tres Monos (Buenos Aires), Alquímico (Cartagena), Connaught Bar (London), Locale Firenze (Florence) and New York’s Sip & Guzzle – all currently featured on the The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list. Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy — named The World’s Best Bar in 2024 — also joins the lineup. Several more sit within the extended 51–100 rankings, underscoring the depth and reach of this year’s guests.

As in previous years, the festival will unfold across some of Sydney’s best-known venues, including Maybe Sammy, Dean & Nancy on 22, El Primo Sanchez, Maybe Frank, El Vista at Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, Bar Allora, Bar Tilda at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, and Cibaria at Manly Pacific MGallery.

The series will include guest shifts, one-off collaborations and walk-in events that place globally recognised talent directly behind local bars for six nights, transforming the city into a meeting point for international drinking culture.

Beyond the nightly guest shifts, this year’s program also makes room for a handful of more food-led moments, pairing serious drinks with everything from a pizza party at Maybe Frank with Mario La Pietra, Cicerone and Redfern’s Regina La Pizzeria, to a four-course lunch at Flaminia matched with Maybe Sammy Cocktails, the bottled cocktail collection from the team behind Maybe Sammy, and a brunch at El Primo Sanchez poured alongside drinks from three of Melbourne’s best bars: Caretaker’s Cottage, Byrdi and Above Board. There will also be a live broadcast from prominent Italian community radio station Radio Italiana 531, airing direct from Bar Allora.

Accor returns as a major partner of the Maybe Cocktail Festival, further strengthening its relationship with The Maybe Group following the launch of Table For, Accor’s in-house food and beverage group, created in collaboration with The Maybe Group. The relationship also saw the opening of two joint venture venues in Sydney in 2025: Bar Allora in the CBD and Acapulco El Vista at Circular Quay. The partnership signals Accor’s continued investment in ambitious food and beverage experiences, with festival events unfolding across its hotel network and Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hosting international guests throughout the week.