The festival is managed by Allegra Events, an event agency that has been organizing food, fitness, fashion, design, wellness and lifestyle events since 2008. The inaugural London Coffee Festival was held in 2001 to cement London’s reputation as one of the most exciting cities on the world coffee map. With 100 exhibitors and over 7,000 visitors, it was an obvious success.
The LCF is an exciting celebration of London’s vibrant and bustling coffee culture. It features gourmet coffee, coffee-based cocktails and specialty tea (its the UK, after all, and the British love their tea), artisan food, demonstrations and interactive workshops from world-class baristas, an extensive seminar program for keen coffee lovers, live music and DJs, parties, art exhibitions, and more.
One of the festival’s most exciting events is Coffee Masters, a competition for 24 baristas in 7 disciplines (Cupping, Brewing, Latte Art, Order, Signature Drink, Espresso Blend and Origin). The winner is awarded £5000 and the prestigious title of Coffee Master.
The London Coffee Festival is usually held in mid-April, launching the UK Coffee Week, a nationwide charitable program. The event takes place at the Old Truman Brewery, an arts and media quarter in East London that hosts various creative events. It consists of industry days and public sessions.
A ticket to the festival includes entry to the event, coffee and food samples, demos, tastings and live music. Half of all ticket sales to the LCF goes towards Project Waterfall, a charity raising money to deliver safe drinking water and sanitation projects for people in coffee-producing African countries.
Allegra Events also hosts similar festivals in other cities including New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Amsterdam and Cape Town.
