Local businesses are raising a glass to the success of Southport’s first-ever Cocktail Week.
The brand-new event created a stir between Friday 7 August and Sunday 16 August 2026, with visitors invited to discover a curated line-up of limited-edition cocktails, each created exclusively for Southport Cocktail Week.
24 venues in Southport town centre took part, including House of Ivy, The Vincent Pacific Bar, Southport Market, The Office Bar and Restaurant, Sinclair’s, The Carlton, and many more.
Several participating businesses struggled to keep up with demand during the event, with some now adding the special Cocktail Week creations to their permanent menus after customers vowed to return.
The event, organised by Southport BID, is estimated to have generated £50,000 in additional income for the town centre, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
There was lots of local support from Southport residents, while the initiative also encouraged visitors from across the Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and beyond.
Southport Cocktail Week is estimated to have brought over 3,000 additional customer visits into Southport town centre businesses, with more than a third of visitors returning for multiple days of the event.
The event also raised more than £2,000 for Queenscourt Hospice through wristband sales, supporting a charity that provides vital care to over 2,000 people across Southport, Formby and West Lancashire each year.
At each participating venue people were able to find at least two exclusive drinks created just for Southport Cocktail Week.
There was a line-up of more than 40 unique cocktails available throughout the event plus a range of food and drink offers available.
Wristbands were available to collect throughout, along with bespoke guidebooks featuring cocktail listings for each venue, maps and other useful information.
Southport Cocktail Week followed the success of Southport Beer Week, which celebrated it’s second year in 2026.
Joe Williams, General Manager at Sinclair’s Bars and Rooms said:
“We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and energy that Southport Cocktail Week brought to the town, not to mention how as a business, we saw some seriously impressive figures, almost doubling our targets throughout the week!
“As a team, we noticed a significant increase in cocktail sales as a whole as well as an increase in people from out of town showing up for the event.
“We look forward to the next one and are here to support in any way possible!”
Roy Carnall, Manager at Ginger’s Bar and Grill said:
“Southport Cocktail Week was a very successful week for our venue, which brought not only more revenue but also more footfall for the town. We had people travelling from way outside of the area for this event.”
A representative from Occulo Lounge said:
“Cocktail Week was a really positive experience. It brought in considerable footfall. The event was great for customers and was brilliant, engaging people into finding out where there firm favourite was.”
Luke Randles, Head of Operations at Southport BID said:
“Southport Cocktail Week offered a perfect opportunity to explore Southport town centre with friends, sampling fabulous creations at our diverse range of town centre venues.
“Events like this are a valuable way of driving footfall into the town centre and encouraging local and regional visitors to engage with our fantastic business community.
“They also offer us a additional opportunity to put the spotlight on certain sectors of our business community.
“The feedback from both customers and the businesses involved has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We’re already looking forward to planning something bigger and better for next year.”
