On Wednesday, April 22, North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026 will be announced at the Vancouver Convention Centre — and for the second year running, the city fills up in the weeks leading to it. Bar owners, bartenders, cocktail obsessives, and industry people converge from across the continent (and, in some cases, across the world), all descending on the same handful of days.

The ceremony is the main event, but there will be loads of fun happening around the edges as well as visiting bartenders stepping behind Vancouver bars for a few nights, working alongside local teams, having a bit of fun with it. These satellite events sit outside the official 50 Best programming, but they’re worth knowing about. A lot of these bars are genuinely hard to get into at home. Having this many of them in one city at the same time, without flights or reservation anxiety, is a pretty good situation to be in.

Here is a list of happenings we think you should have on your radar:

CHUPITO X HANDSHAKE SPEAKEASY

Casa México at Chupito is a week-long takeover that brings a tight group of leading bars from Mexico into one room and lets them run service together. The format moves from daytime seminars into aperitivo hours, then into full collab nights with multiple teams behind the bar at once. On Sunday, April 19th the focus is on Handshake Speakeasy. The Mexico City bar currently sits at No. 1 in North America and No. 2 in the world, Handshake will be at Chupito for both a daytime seminar (designed for industry professionals to hear directly from the team about their approach to hospitality and cocktail culture) and an evening bar takeover, along with staff from their sister bar Ahorita as well as the Chupito crew. DETAILS

THE FLAMINGO ROOM x A DAY OF AGAVE

A focused run through agave at The Flamingo Room, starting with a masterclass led by Dré Masso and Megs Miller, two of the more informed voices working in tequila right now. The evening shifts to a pop-up from Daphnée (Cantina Concha, Montreal), bringing a cantina-style menu alongside live music from Midnight Boogaloo.

THE GERARD LOUNGE × 6 SIPS, 1 BEGINNING
Bar Mordecai (Toronto), Shinji’s Bar (New York), and Martiny’s (New York) share the bar at Gerard Lounge for an early evening session — three spots currently climbing the North America’s 50 Best rankings, each with a different take on structure and service. No reservations, no fuss. Just a good reason to show up on a Monday.
Monday, April 20 | 5–8pm | Gerard Lounge

Chickadee x The Meadowlark x Monkey Thief

At The Chickadee Room, The Meadowlark (Chicago) returns to Vancouver alongside Monkey Thief (NYC). Meadowlark has built a reputation for thoughtful, rotating menus grounded in regional references, while Monkey Thief works through a Pan-Asian lens, drawing on travel and lived experience across the continent. This collab takes on a nice casual format with basketball on screen, hip hop in the background – basically a bunch of cool people making top notch drinks for an easy Sunday hangout. DETAILS

¿CóMO? TAPERIA x SORA 45

Sora 45 is making a trip from their perch on the 45th floor of a Montreal skyscraper for 50 Best, and while they’re in town, they’re popping into ¿CóMO? Taperia for a short, happy hour session. It’s a treat to have them at street level for the afternoon. Head in for The Sword (Suntory Toki, strawberry-infused Tio Pepe, honey, melilot tincture), plus ¿CóMO?’s own aperitivos, happy hour energy, and hopefully a little afternoon sunshine. DETAILS

BASEBALL BONANZA 

Head over to Commercial Drive where The Flamingo room is hosting Baseball Bonanza! From The Flamingo Room: “Cocktails, baseball, live music, Baseball, free food, BASEball, prizes, BASEBALL!” DETAILS

DEAR GUS x BAR BISOU BISOU: TINS & ’TINIS

Bar Bisou Bisou (Montreal) drops into Dear Gus for a one-night “Tins & ’Tinis” pop-up. Expect martinis, conservas, and the impossible-not-to-want-to-be-around kind of low-key French charm, plus, Bisou Bisou promises “Free French lessons.” It’s a casual format, no reservations, just a good reason to stop in early and stay a while. DETAILS

GOOD THIEF x PAPER LANTERN

Good Thief hosts Paper Lantern (Calgary), a Chinatown basement bar known for its Vietnamese-influenced cocktails and transportive setting. It’s likely that the drinks will play with tropical moods – sounds like a perfect fit for this Main Street lounge. DETAILS 

LATE NIGHT LEGENDS: MONTREAL EDITION

At June, six independent bars from Montreal take over the upstairs room for a late-night run. Montreal tends to favour personality over polish, so expect a mix of styles, some classic, some a little off-centre, all shaped by the city’s loose, after-hours energy. It’s a rare chance to see that scene compressed into one room. DETAILS

MOUNT PLEASANT VINTAGE x BON VIVANTS x KAITO DEL VALLE x SERVICE BAR

Mount Pleasant Vintage & Provisions hosts a Pan-American lineup: Bon Vivants (Nassau), Kaito del Valle (Mexico City), and Service Bar (Washington, DC). Three distinct approaches sharing one bar for a short window, from tropical precision to Japanese-influenced cocktails to neighbourhood-driven classics. DETAILS

CHICKADEE ROOM

An early session at Chickadee brings Reece Sims and Alexander Sourmpatis behind the bar for a short, tonic-focused window, offering a bit of context and a few samples along the way. Later, Shelter (Calgary) steps in for the late slot, shifting things toward a more responsive format where drinks are built around guest preferences rather than a fixed list.

¿CóMO? TAPERIA x BAR RAVAL

Bar Raval (Toronto), known for its Spanish-influenced cocktail program and fast-paced service, joins ¿CóMO? for the night. There’s a bit of that Barcelona bar energy to it, people standing, talking, drinks moving quickly through the room. ¿CóMO? pours a Súper Dirty Martini, while Raval bartenders Bex Figueiredo and Hailey Burke handle a Milk Punch built on Dillon’s Rye with fig liqueur, mulled wine syrup, and coconut cream. Reservations or walk-ins welcome. DETAILS

MEO x LUCANO LOUNGE

Tuesday at Meo shifts into a slower, flavour-focused format with Lucano and Mancino. Reece Sims leads an early session offering samples and a bit of context around the products, before the room moves into a full evening service featuring a dedicated menu, including a Meo Filthy Martini, a White Negroni with Mancino Bianco Ambrato, and a Pine-Smoked Candy Cap Mushroom Negroni. It’s a more considered pace, with drinks built around amaro and vermouth rather than spectacle. DETAILS

A LOVE LETTER TO VANCOUVER

Hosted by bartenders Alex Black and David Wolowidnyk at Gerard Lounge, this afternoon session looks back at the cocktails and bartenders that helped shape Vancouver’s bar community. The setup is simple: no brand tie-ins, just a room, a list of nine well-made drinks, and an opportunity to take stock.

THE KEEFER BAR × SERVICE BAR × ALLEGORY

Two Washington, DC bars – Service Bar and Allegory – step in at The Keefer for an afternoon takeover. Service Bar brings a neighbourhood-pub ease to well-balanced drinking; Allegory works from a more conceptual place, building cocktails around narrative and setting. The contrast between them is part of the point, and The Keefer is a good room for it.

BAR GOBO × CAFÉ DE NADIE

Jimena Alva and Mapo Molano of  Mexico City listening bar Café de Nadie (known for putting sound and atmosphere on equal footing with the drink)  join Bar Gobo for an early evening session. The format is relaxed: a short list of rum-based cocktails, snacks from the kitchen, and a steady vinyl set that Gobo is known for. A gentle way to start the night, with music doing as much of the work as anything in the glass.

BOTANIST x ZEST

Zest (Seoul) steps into Botanist with a menu built around ingredient clarity and a defined approach to balance. Their “sustainable fine drinking” philosophy tends to show up directly in the glass, without much explanation needed. DETAILS

LOBBY LOUNGE x LIBRARY BAR x MOTHER

At The Lobby Lounge & RawBar inside Fairmont Pacific Rim, Library Bar and Mother (Toronto) share an afternoon slot. Two different reads on Canadian cocktail culture, one rooted in classic structure, the other pushing a more contemporary angle. DETAILS

L’ABATTOIR x CLEMENTE BAR

Clemente Bar (New York), the art-driven cocktail space above Eleven Madison Park, brings Jay Reingold and Wilmer Reyes to L’Abattoir for a short service between 5–7pm. Their work draws from a culinary framework, with drinks that feel deliberate without being heavy-handed. It’s a narrow window, but one worth making time for. DETAILS 

LATE NIGHT LEGENDS: SOUR SESSIONS

Sour Sessions takes a familiar format and hands it to some of the most exacting bars in the world, Sip & Guzzle (New York), Bandista (Houston), and Charles H (Seoul), alongside the June team, each working from the same backbone but pushing it in their own direction, so what you’re really seeing is how they think, not just what they pour. DETAILS

LALA x HIMKOK

At Lala, Himkok (Oslo), currently ranked No. 14 in the world, steps into a room that suits the way they work. Known for operating as a bar, distillery, and lab in one, Himkok brings a clean, technical approach that never feels overworked. Set in Lala’s vinyl-led subterranean space under June, part living room, part after-hours hangout, that focus should read clearly, shaped by the room as much as the drinks. DETAILS

GOOD THIEF x BAR BANANE
1970s-inspired speakeasy-style Ossington Avenue bar should fit nicely at Good Thief, and we’re excited to see what sort of cocktails this meeting of minds will inspire. DETAILS

LAOWAI x MARK LLOYD x JACK SOTTI

At Laowai, Mark Lloyd (Wing Lei Bar, Macau), known for a polished, classic-forward approach inside one of the world’s more formal hotel bars, pairs up with Jack Sotti (Archive & Myth, London), whose work comes out of a more theatrical, hidden-bar format. Expect a mix of precision and personality, with both bartenders working from very different ends of the spectrum.

CHICKADEE ROOM

Long Story Short (Mexico City), known for its warm, guest-first approach, returns to Chickadee with Taco Tasting Room for a short brunch service. Drinks from the LSS team pair with a limited food menu from Chef Pepe. The same team resets for a longer evening service, expanding both the drink and food menus. Expect a stronger focus on traditional Mexican dishes alongside cocktails that carry LSS’s signature style. DETAILS

AMA RAW BAR x ANGEL’S SHARE x THE CLOAKROOM x SORA 45

At Ama Raw Bar, Angel’s Share (New York), The Cloakroom (Montreal), and Sora 45 (Montreal) take over for a late-night session. You’ve got a mix of classic technique and more pared-back service styles, all landing in a room that knows how to keep things rolling after everything else starts to wind down. DETAILS

BAGHEERA

Holly Graham (Tokyo Confidential) brings a sharp, modern Tokyo perspective, Leonardo Zanini (Bulgari Bar Dubai) comes from a more formal hotel bar setting, and Jon Adler (Shinji’s, New York) rounds it out. It’s a global mix on paper, but once they’re behind the bar, the room will shape how it comes together. DETAILS

NORTH AMERICA’S 50 BEST BARS AWARDS

The main event. The 2026 list is revealed at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Wednesday, April 22, with the industry gathered in one room to see where things land.

L’ABATTOIR x BAR MADONNA

Bar Madonna (Brooklyn) brings a more relaxed, Italian-American approach into L’Abattoir. Expect aperitivo-style drinks and a service that feels a bit looser without losing control. DETAILS 

BOTANIST x CLEMENTE BAR

Clemente Bar (New York), the art-driven cocktail space developed by chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park fame with artist Francesco Clemente, steps into Botanist ahead of the awards. Currently ranked No. 11 in North America, the bar is known for a more composed, culinary approach where drinks are built with the same level of structure as a dish. Set against Botanist’s brighter, more open room, it’s a chance to see how that style carries outside its usual setting.  DETAILS

LOBBY LOUNGE x CARIBBEAN COCKTAIL TOUR

Library by the Sea, Bon Vivants, and La Factoria take over the Lobby Lounge with a Caribbean-focused session. Broader flavours, a more relaxed format, and a shift away from the North American frame. DETAILS

LAOWAI GOES ITALIAN

Keith Motsi (Virtù, Tokyo), working from a Paris-meets-Tokyo hotel bar framework, joins Federico Balzarini (Ciotti Salò, Italy), whose work blends culinary thinking with a strong cocktail foundation. Two structured approaches, meeting somewhere in the middle. Later that night, Riccardo Rossi (Freni e Frizioni, Rome), known for high-volume aperitivo energy, teams up with Patrick Pistolesi (Drink Kong, Rome), whose cyberpunk, retro-futuristic bar has become one of Europe’s most recognizable rooms. Expect a loud and more kinetic evening. DETAILS

SUPERNOVA (INDUSTRY SEMINAR)

Beverage Collective and Chupito host Max Curzon-Price and Andrew Kong of Bar Supernova (Opening Soon) for a two-hour seminar that walks through the process of building a bar from concept to execution, with a focus on ingredients and process. It’s a chance to hear how the project is taking shape before it opens, followed by a complimentary martini during Chupito’s aperitivo hour. DETAILS

CASA MÉXICO AFTER PARTY AT CHUPITO

Bar Mauro (Mexico City), known for its confident, guest-facing service, leads into the Casa México close at Chupito. The night moves into a rotating after party with teams from Handshake, Limantour, and others stepping back behind the bar. An all star line up. This will be a fun one. DETAILS

MEO x TRUE LAUREL x MARTINY’S

True Laurel (San Francisco) and Martiny’s (New York) step into Meo for a one-night takeover that will suit the slinky, jazz-leaning mood of this Chinatown darling. Eight cocktails in total, three from each guest bar and two from Meo, with Nikka whisky running through the menu. DETAILS

JUNE x LATE NIGHT LEGENDS: MEXICO EDITION

June hosts Bar Mauro (Mexico City) and ACRE (Baja) for a late-night run. Two distinct parts of Mexico /two different ways of holding a bar, sharing the same stretch of night. DETAILS

THE GERARD LOUNGE × SIP & GUZZLE

Sip & Guzzle (one of the more talked-about recent arrivals on the 50 Best list) takes over Gerard Lounge. The New York bar is known for moving between playful and precise depending on the room, which makes an evening format like this a good fit. Expect the tone to shift as the night does.

BOTANIST x ARCA x MECENAS

It doesn’t truly go over the top on the indulgence scale until you’ve added a fancy dinner, and Botanist has you covered with a six-course dinner pairing ARCA (Tulum) and Mecenas (Guadalajara) with Botanist’s kitchen. A longer format that gives both food and cocktails more room to develop across the evening. DETAILS

Did we miss a pop-up that you think should be included? Send an email to michelle @ scoutmagazine.ca