The San Diego Spirits Festival is heading back to La Jolla for its 17th year, taking over the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego the weekend of September 26-27 with unlimited pours from spirits brands, live music, and food from local eateries. General admission runs $89 for Saturday and $68 for Sunday, and the two-day event brings together consumers and the hospitality industry at the oceanfront venue at 700 Prospect St.
The festival, founded by Liz Edwards, started out in Downtown San Diego before settling into its current home at the museum, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. It has now been held at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego for five years, per the same report. Edwards, a La Jolla resident, said the festival attracts discerning spirit lovers and connoisseurs interested in brand history.
Among the newcomers this year is Wild Tide, an alcoholic ginger beer brand founded by Kelsey Chesterfield, which will participate in the festival for the first time. Chesterfield said participating in events like the festival is important for Wild Tide, according to the Union-Tribune's report. The 2026 lineup also includes Dady'o Mezcal, crafted in Mexico, whose president Edward DeNardis said the brand plans to use the festival to introduce more people to authentic mezcal.
Mezcal, Beer, and Lobster Return to the Terrace
Dady'o Mezcal already has an important market in San Diego and has grown with major assistance from the San Diego community, and the brand is available at numerous locations across the county, per the same report. South Bay beer brand 3 Punk Ales rounds out the 2026 pour list. On the food side, Lobster West returns after participating in the 2025 festival, and Zoya Mediterranean Grill & Pizza is back as well after its own 2025 appearance.
The festival's tastings span whiskey, bourbon, tequila, mezcal, vodka, gin, and ready-to-drink cocktails from more than 65 premium spirit brands at the oceanfront museum, according to SanDiego.org. This year also brings a new corporate partner, Pavilions La Jolla, which will make its festival debut in 2026.
Music Lineup Includes a Black Eyed Peas Guitarist
Live entertainment is a festival staple, and the 2026 bill includes music from a range of artists and bands. Andrew Cole will headline Saturday's festivities; Cole performed alongside Black Eyed Peas guitarist George Pajon Jr. in 2025. Also on the schedule are flamenco guitarist Jason Jenkins and the group Rideshare Jazz, while belly dancer Christina Sirmons and samba dancers from Energia Entertainment will perform throughout the weekend, per the Union-Tribune's report.
A 17-Year Run Built Without Outside Investors
Edwards launched the San Diego Spirits Festival in 2009 in Downtown San Diego without outside investors, maintaining 100% female ownership over its 17-year history as it grew into a major independent cocktail showcase, according to CanvasRebel Magazine. The event has picked up civic recognition along the way — in 2013, then-interim San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria issued an official city proclamation declaring a San Diego Spirits Festival Day, as reported by PRWeb at the time.
The museum hosting this year's event has its own notable backstory. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego completed a $105 million renovation and expansion in April 2022, designed by Selldorf Architects, that quadrupled its gallery space on an oceanfront site originally built in 1897 as the home of philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, according to La Jolla Light.
Why Craft Brands Keep Showing Up
For emerging spirits brands like Wild Tide and Dady'o, a coastal tasting festival is more than a weekend showcase. Fast Moving Consumer Goods and regional retailer Keg N Bottle signed on as official sponsors of the 2026 festival, providing platform support and nationwide shipping access across 42 states for participating brands, according to a release carried by Morningstar. Keg N Bottle is also listed as a festival sponsor.
That kind of direct-to-consumer access matters more than ever for small producers. U.S. craft spirits sales totaled $7.58 billion across 12.7 million cases in 2024, according to the American Craft Spirits Association. That trend helps explain why regional tasting events and local retail ties have become critical revenue channels for small distillers trying to build a following close to home.
The festival also fits into a much larger local economic picture. San Diego County's creative industries generated $10.8 billion in total economic impact in 2022 and supported nearly 170,000 local jobs, per a study cited by the City of San Diego. Separately, the county's craft brewing industry generated between $290 million and $360 million in local economic output in 2020, according to a study by California State University San Marcos, underscoring the region's standing as a hub for craft alcohol production. The festival is a temporary, multi-vendor alcohol event. The local arts and culture sector is part of that broader picture. Cultural tourism is another part of that local economic picture.
