Although the main Grand Tasting event of the Tequila & Agave Festival (7pm on May 25th, 2024) is sold out, there are still several other opportunities to get in on the action. For your convenience, we’ve rounded up a list of the festival’s satellite and industry-centred events below – but as these experiences are also likely to sell out, don’t wait to grab your tickets! We wouldn’t want you to be disappointed…

First things first: The general public is more than welcome to hit the Trade Tasting event which will be taking over the Italian Cultural Centre’s Grand Ballroom during the typical Happy Hour slot of 4-6pm (preceding the evening Grand Tasting) on Saturday, May 25th. You may not be able to get down to some live mariachi music, but the earlier wrap-up time does leave your evening open for whatever else gets thrown your way after a couple of hours spent sipping on agave spirits and making connections with other enthusiasts… Who knows what could happen! Details here.

Love Latin/Mexican food and drink but lacking the time and/or confidence to sniff it out in Vancouver when left to your own devices? No problem-o: The festival has two opportunities to tap into this unique gustatory side of our city with a capable guide at the helm. First up, consider taking the opportunity to explore East Van’s food scene via a mini vacation-style, multi-stop agave-paired taco-eating expedition on board the “Taco Safari bus” (Saturday, May 11th from 2-6pm). Expect to hit up several neighbourhood businesses who take their tacos seriously (but not too seriously), including: Cuchillo, La Mezcaleria, Don Osos, Tacofino, and Miso Taco.

Another way to dial into the local restaurant scene while getting festive is by signing up for a tour through Downtown Vancouver (Saturday, May 18th from 2-6pm), with stops at five different restaurants – Chupito, Maxine’s Cafe & Bar, Nightingale, Lift Bar & Grill, The Pawn Shop – to fuel up on delicious food (paired with agave, of course).

Not into the party bus atmosphere? Try the hands-on (and lips-on) classes on offer from this year’s festival: On Thursday, May 16th from 2-4pm, cocktail aficionado Rob Renda will be detailing the ins and outs of the Don Julio Brand Family in his Tequila & Mezcal 101 class; whereas the following week (Friday, May 24th from 6-8pm) National Tequila Ambassador, James Bailey-Leon, will be treating attendees to his Tequila 101 educational talk to a deep dive of the centuries-old history of tequila, enriched by samples.

See, there’s no reason to be sore about missing out on the Grand Tasting evening party situation. Whichever other angle of the festival’s events you choose to delve into, it’s sure to be a blast… Just remember to snag your spots before another opportunity to participate in the festivities passes you by. All of the important details and tickets can be found here.

The only way to ensure more, better and bigger festivals like this going forward is to turn up, Vancouver!

Italian Cultural Centre

Neighbourhood: East Vancouver

3075 Slocan St.

604-430-3337

WEBSITE