London Cocktail Week more important than ever, say founders

London Cocktail Week founders Siobhan Payne and Hannah Sharman-Cox have emphasised the importance of the festival this year given the imposed hospitality curfews from the UK government.

On Tuesday 22 September it was announced that all bars must closeat 10pm and that table service was mandatory in an attempt to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Earlier this year Payne and Sharman-Cox announced that LCW, which usually runs for one week annually, would be extended to last the entire month of October in support of the hospitality industry in light of the unprecidented challenges set by the Coronavirus.

"While safety is paramount, this new curfew is certainly a blow for the hospitality industry, especially for those operators who have been working tirelessly to keep their staff in jobs, their rents paid and their guests safe.

"Our festival starts on Thursday 01 October and is geared up solely to encourage Londoners back into those responsibly operated bars - many of which are independently owned and may not be able to stay open with these new rules in place.

"However we feel now more than ever we have a responsibility to forge ahead and support those which can remain open, giving Londoners a safe way to enjoy October and the city's award winning cocktail culture."

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EARLY NIGHTS ALL ROUND⁠ ⁠ This year, #LondonCocktailWeek is geared up solely to encourage Londoners safely back into responsibly operated bars, helping the hospitality industry get back on its feet. And with the 10pm curfew coming into effect a week before kick off - the wheels MUST keep turning and our mantra of Every Cocktail Counts is resonating louder than ever. ⁠ ⁠ So - we’re updating the website to reflect the limited opening hours, we’ve tweaked the event schedule and we’ve rallied the troops - YES - we’re still going ahead, safely, with whatever restrictions the government throw at us. ⁠ ⁠ London Cocktail Week offers a safe way to enjoy October and the city's award winning cocktail culture. ⁠ Albeit with a slightly earlier bedtime - thank goodness there’s a whole month to make the most of your wristband and enjoy everything that the festival has to offer this year!

A post shared by London Cocktail Week (@londoncocktailweekofficial) on Sep 22, 2020 at 12:12pm PDT