Asia’s gin festival expands its presence

The East Imperial Gin Jubilee, a gin-focused festival first launched in Singapore, will make its debut in Shenzhen and Beijing this year, expanding its presence in Asia to now include six different cities, while promising a more eco-friendly event with zero waste and plastic-free straws.

This year, Gin Jubilee will return to Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore for one to nine-day stints in each city. The festival will also make its debut in Shenzhen and Beijing, fuelled by a gin boom in Asia. British gin exports to Asia and Oceania last year grew by 13% to £31 million, according to HMRC.

“The growth of the cocktail scenes in these major cities has been exponential. There’s a thirst for good drinks knowledge, much like Singapore six years ago when we began running the Gin Jubilee,” says East Imperial’s founder Kevin Law-Smith of the move. “East Imperial hopes to bring the bar community and its new bars, bartenders and gin brand entrants together, and lead the education in Beijing.”

The event will also launch ‘Best Gin & Tonic Competition’ in each of the six cities. The winner will travel to Gin Jubilee’s final week in Singapore and compete for the Asia’s Best Gin & Tonic prize.

This year, the organiser made a pledge for eco-friendliness as it aims to create zero waste at each city. Meanwhile, the event will also replace all plastic straws with bamboo straws.

The gin festival will first kick off in Kuala Lumpur from 22 – 26 August, followed by Beijing (12 – 15 September), Shanghai (18 – 20 October), Hong Kong (27 October), Shenzhen (8 – 10 November), and Singapore (30 November – 8 December).