Copy Taste Festival 2026 returns to Zagreb on May 14 and 15, pulling the third – and most ambitious – edition of the city’s defining bar-industry event into the heart of the Croatian capital.
What began as a local celebration of craft cocktail culture has grown, in just three editions, into a genuine international platform. This year’s program spans professional education at Peti Kupe, a brand-new brunch guest shift format across five Zagreb bars, and a headline open-air party that closes out the weekend in the Peti Kupe courtyard. The world’s best bars aren’t coming to Zagreb for a photo opportunity – they’re coming to pour.
Education That Actually Talks to the Profession
Thursday, May 14, opens on the floor of Peti Kupe with an educational program built around panels and seminars rather than traditional lectures – a deliberate choice to keep the conversation moving in both directions.
Moderating the day’s discussions are two figures with serious global credibility: Arina Nikolskaya, internationally recognized bar industry expert and longtime Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars, and Anthony Poncier, founder of the Top 500 Bars platform, which uses digital algorithms and big data to rank bars worldwide. The topics – the future of the regional scene and the direction of global trends – are framed to be directly applicable, not aspirational.
Dominik Bečvardi, co-organizer of Copy Taste Festival and co-owner of Zagreb bar Peaches&Cream, laid out the intent plainly: “Our vision is for the educational portion of Copy Taste to be a space for exchanging ideas where the boundaries between speakers and the audience vanish. We are bringing in globally recognized individuals to provide our scene with insights into upcoming trends in an organic and applicable way for our bars. Our goal is to strengthen the regional community through knowledge sharing and collectively raising the industry standard.”
Thursday Night – Five World’s 50 Best Bars Take Over Zagreb
When the panels wrap, the city picks up the pace. Thursday evening’s guest shifts are drawn entirely from The World’s 50 Best Bars list, distributed across six Zagreb venues:
Moebius (Milan, No. 7 in the world) pours at Peaches & Cream from 9:30 PM — named the world’s best restaurant cocktail bar, this is the marquee booking of the festival. The Cambridge Public House (Paris, No. 20) takes over Blend Bar from 7:00 PM, representing what co-organizer Mišel Posavac describes as “the best bar collective.” Barro Negro (Athens), recognized as global leaders in tequila and mezcal, sets up at KOi from 9:30 PM. Mirror Bar (Bratislava), one of the most innovative hotel bars operating today, heads to Landsky Bar from 7:00 PM. Locale Firenze (Florence, No. 22) pours at Urania Bar from 8:30 PM. And Tag (Poland) opens the evening at Roots from 8:30 PM.
Posavac framed the selection with characteristic directness: “We are bringing in bars that are currently at their peak — from Moebius, named the world’s best restaurant cocktail bar, to the team from Paris who holds the title of the best bar collective. This is a significant milestone for our local scene, as bartenders and guests get direct insight into the world’s most advanced techniques and service.”
Friday Brunch – A New Wave Hits Zagreb’s Mornings
Friday, May 15, opens with something entirely new to the Copy Taste format: brunch guest shifts running from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM across five Zagreb venues. The concept merges breakfast and coffee culture with cocktails and a low-key party energy – an early-start option for guests who want to pace themselves into the evening.
The lineup focuses on what the organizers are calling “new wave” bars: Phillia (Greece) at Broom 44, Teoria Bar (Romania) at Cynic, Purovōku Project (Greece) at Holographik Space, Hotsy Totsy (Hungary/Italy) at Gradska kavana, and Atilla Bus (Hungary) at Tender. Bus — a renowned bar business expert and innovative creative leader – adds industry weight to what is otherwise a showcase of some of the most energetic young programs currently operating in the region.
The Grand Finale – Open-Air Party at Peti Kupe
At 5:00 PM on Friday, the courtyard at Peti Kupe opens for the festival’s headline event: a free, open-air party featuring six of the region’s best bars pouring their signature cocktails. Strings Bar (Split), Casa Bar (North Macedonia), Silk & Fizz (Slovenia), Okosh Bokosh (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Riddle Bar (Serbia), and Kokotov rep (Montenegro) each bring a carefully selected signature serve — a format that consistently doubles as both a competitive showcase and a genuine celebration of what the broader regional scene can do.
DJs Pips, Mirzaisfab, and Hrwoe run the music from the afternoon into the night, with a gastro corner providing food pairings throughout. Entry is free.
Bečvardi closed with a line that captures the event’s growing sense of its own stakes: “It’s not just bars coming to the Peti Kupe courtyard; it’s world-class creatives presenting the pure identity of their home bars through signature cocktails. This is a showcase of the dedication, vision, and top-tier service our region offers the world today.”
Copy Taste Festival 2026 at a Glance
In three years, Copy Taste has moved from a credible local experiment to one of the most concentrated gatherings of internationally ranked bar talent in Central and Southeastern Europe. The combination of serious education, tightly curated 50 Best guest shifts, and a free public finale positions Zagreb – and the festival – as a benchmark for how regional scenes can interface with the global industry on their own terms.
