As home of the Tonga Room, Smuggler’s Cove and The Zombie Village, San Francisco is a mecca for tiki bars and rum drinks.
And to kick off Labor Day Weekend, the ninth annual San Francisco Rum Festival & Congress is happening at SOMArts. Also known as the California Rum Fest NoCal Edition, it takes place Aug. 31 and Sept. 2. It starts with the Rum Congress on Friday and the Rum Festival is Saturday.
The boutique-style festival showcases a curated selection of premium rum brands, highlighting the rich diversity and exceptional quality of rums available today, in California, one of the largest rum consumer markets in the USA.
New this year is the DaiquiriMania experience a celebration of the classic daiquiri cocktail with a modern twist and set to the nostalgic beats of retro music. More details are below.
The team behind this experience is also the producer of the Puerto Rico Rum Festival “Taste of Rum”, Miami Rum Congress, New York, the LA Rum Fest, the San Francisco Rum Fest, and the Chicago Rum Festival. Events that attract hundreds of people from trade, rum aficionados, tourists & locals.
San Francisco Rum Festival Ticket Packages
Here are the various ticket packages.
VIP Rum Experts session
This ia a 5 1/2-hour program with the following:
- Exclusive tasting cup presented by The NEAT Glass.
- Taste premium rums.
- Access to 2 VIP Seminars.
- Attend Consumer seminars.
- Automatic subscription to TheRumLab Weekly Industry Newsletter.
- Participate in The Rum Cocktail Hours.
The Trade “Industry” session
This is a 1.5-hour program for trade members (bar, restaurant & retail sale of beer/spirits) and beverage media.
- Network with the brand representative.
- Taste premium rums.
- Attend Trade Focus Seminars.
- Mingle with industry colleagues.
VIP Enthusiastic Session
The is a 4-hour session with:
- 1 Hour early admission
- Exclusive tasting cup presented by The NEAT Glass
- Taste premium rums
- Access to 1 VIP Seminar.
- Attend Consumer seminars.
- Automatic subscription to TheRumLab Weekly Industry Newsletter
- Participate in The Rum Cocktail Hours.
Rum Aficionados GA Tasting session
This is a 3-hour session with:
- 3-oz souvenir cup.
- Taste premium rums.
- Attend Consumer seminars.
All sessions also have a comparative tasting called Back to the Basics that offers a sensory understanding of fermentation style (selected and wild yeasts), raw material (cane juice, syrup, and molasses) still type (pot and column), and aging (tropical and continental climates).
Tickets for these events can be found on the event’s official website, San Francisco Rum Festival & Congress,
Rum Festival (Cocktail Competition, Grand Tasting & DaiquiriMANIA)
Here are “events within the event” at San Francisco Rum Fest:
DaiquiriMANIA
DaiquiriMANIA is a new program TheRumLab will be launching in 2025. The team will test the idea (Pilot) at the 2024 SF Rum Festival. This concept should bring together rum enthusiasts, cocktail lovers, and music aficionados for delicious drinks and unforgettable tunes.
- Twisted Daiquiris: DaiquiriMANIA showcases a variety of innovative and creative daiquiri variations, each crafted by participating rum brands at their booth. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample these unique concoctions, exploring new flavors while celebrating the classic rum cocktail.
- Retro Music: The event will feature a curated playlist of retro hits, spanning 70s, 80s, and 90s genres. The music will set the perfect backdrop, creating a fun and energetic atmosphere that invites guests to dance and reminisce.
Cocktail Competition
Bounty Rum and REAL Ingredients have hosted a series of cocktail competitions nationwide called “The Spirits of Saint Lucia” Dozens of bartenders participated in each city. The grand finale will be in San Francisco.
Seminars
The seminars on Sunday, September 1st, will be divided into three topics. The first one will be ‘Jamaican Ru-me Crazy,’ which will explore the origins of rum production in Jamaica, delve into the unique rum crafting process of the region, and discuss its impact on the global spirits market.
The panelists of the session will be Martha Miller (CEO at National Rums of Jamaica), Shannon Mustipher (Cocktail consultant, spirits educator, and author), and Alexander Kong’s (Business Development Director at Worthy Park Estate).
The second one, Choosing the next Unique & Exotic Rum will enhance the rum selection voyage with valuable insights and professional advice from Antonio W. Bleve (Proprietor of Samoroli Rum), and Joris Lincke (Commercial Associate and Rum Blender at E&A Scheer).
Bourbon Consumers’ attraction to Rum, the third talk, will delve into the growing trend of bourbon enthusiasts developing an affinity for rum, one of the main factors in understanding the future of Rum in the USA market.
This session will be led by Jamie Platto (Co-founder of the San Francisco Whisky Society), Earl Brown (Co-Founder of Wright & Brown Distilling Company), and other panelists.
Competitions
Competitions will be part of the experience too. In So You Think You Know Rum winners will get a $400 LM&V gift card by participating in a blind rum-tasting competition, presented by Kate Perry of LM&V and Arminder of The Rum Revival.
San Francisco Rum Festival Location: SOMArts.