Bahrain Coffee Festival 2026: Dates, Venue and What to Expect

The Bahrain Coffee Festival returns from 8 to 12 December 2026 at Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir, south of Manama. It is held indoors, so it works on any December day, and the venue has on-site parking.

Opening hours, entry details and the 2026 line-up had not been published when we last checked. Look at the Exhibition World Bahrain event page before you go.

This is the second edition of an event that bills itself as Bahrain's first festival dedicated to coffee culture. The first ran from 9 to 13 December 2025 and was organised by DXB LIVE with the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority and Exhibition World Bahrain.

In January 2026 DXB LIVE, the tourism authority and Exhibition World Bahrain signed a three-year agreement to keep organising the festival, so it should become a fixture of the December calendar.

The 2025 programme included barista competitions such as a latte art throwdown, a cup tasters challenge and a fastest barista race. There were workshops on brewing, cupping, roasting and even opening a coffee shop, plus traditional Arabic coffee demonstrations, a mini coffee museum and a coffee and music lounge.

The 2026 programme may differ, but expect the same mix of roasters, cafes and equipment brands. It suits home brewers and families looking for tastings, as well as cafe owners, baristas and trade visitors hunting for suppliers.

Go early in the day if you can; popular stalls can sell out of limited beans. Bring a bag for coffee you buy, and ask stall staff about grind size so the beans suit your equipment at home.

If you enjoy what you taste at the festival, the best way to keep going is to visit the roasters' own cafes. Black 22 Coffee Bar & Roastery (Seef and Riffa), Crust & Crema (Adliya), Grind Micro Roastery (Saar), Hub Specialty Coffee Bar & Roastery (Tubli) and New York Coffee Roastery (Adliya) all roast on site or have their own roasting programmes.

There° Coffee Roasters at Harbour Row and ARENA Specialty Coffee in Janabiya are two more top-rated stops for third-wave coffee.

Festivals focus on modern specialty coffee, but Bahrain's own coffee tradition is gahwa, lightly roasted and spiced with cardamom. Pair your festival visit with a morning at Bu Khalaf Coffee Shop or House of Coffee in Muharraq to see where it all began.