Los Angeles, are you ready for the LA Coffee Festival? I sure hope so, because it gets going today, November 9th. And like with all the Allegra Events-created shindigs that follow the general naming convention “[city] Coffee Festival,” the three-day bash descending upon LA is going to be chockablock with all manner of coffee good times. We’ve rounded up a few of the can’t-miss happenings going on this weekend; if you are in the City of Angels over the next few days, these are the things you need to check out.
The centerpiece for these coffee festivals is always a competition and the LA Coffee Festival is no different. This year’s event is the Coffee Mixologists, where teams of two—one barista and one mixologist—work together to see who can come up with the best coffee cocktail using mystery ingredients provided to them that day. And a fun twist for this year, baristas and mixologists will be doing daily takeovers of the Latte Art Stage for Coffee Mixologists LA Allstars, where teams will be making drinks on the fly THAT YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DRINK.
That’s not the only way to get your fill. New for this year, the LA Coffee Festival has added The Kitchen, a casual dining experience featuring “fiery demos, workshops and talks headed up by culinary legends” from the LA food scene. Look for features like “One Way to Have Your Eggs” by Go Get Em Tiger’s Marilei Denila as well as “Fine Dining Meets Specialty Coffee” with Joseph Geiskopf of TRINITI and Maya Alber of Devocion.
And lest you think it’s all about whatever you can shove down your gullet (which to be honest, is still a pretty great way to experience these festivals), there’s learning aplenty to be had at The Lab when you are recovering from your over-caffeinated food coma. Many of the discussions taking place are on hot button topics within the coffee community: sustainability, colonialism, and women in coffee. It’s kinda like food, but it’s food for thought.
But then it’s back to more flavorful goodies, including a tasting room, a street vendor market, and the True Artisan Cafe, La Marzocco’s rotating coffee concept that will feature over 30 different cafes taking over their space throughout the course of the festival, including G&B Coffee, Stumptown, Cartel, Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, and so many more.
Tickets are still on sale for the Los Angeles Coffee Festival and range from $27 to $100 for single-day passes and Super VIP three-day access. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Los Angeles Coffee Festival’s official website. See you there!
Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
Top image via the Los Angeles Coffee Festival
