Penang’s biggest bartending and cocktail festival is set to make its third annual return to George Town from 1 to 7 September 2025, bringing with it a global lineup of bartending talent and a celebration of cross-cultural creativity under the theme “A Cocktail of Cultures.”
Since its inception in 2023 by Backdoor Bodega’s Koh Yung Shen, Penang Cocktail Week (PCW) has played a vital role in spotlighting the island’s unique cocktail culture, where nearly 90% of independent bars are owned and operated by bartenders themselves. This owner-driven model has fostered a distinctive hospitality scene where personal passion is poured into every glass.
For this year’s edition, PCW will see more internationally acclaimed bartenders from the UK, Canada, and Los Angeles mixing it up alongside rising stars from India, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China.
The programme promises a non-stop event extravaganza, including cross-cultural bar takeovers; the highly anticipated India Cocktail Week x PCW collaboration; the PCW Taiwan Takeover spotlighting Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan’s emerging bars; and themed evenings such as the Jack Daniel’s Bangkok Block2Block Party and PCW Vietnam All-Stars.
Malaysia’s own cocktail scene will take centre stage with the PCW Malaysian Invasion – Borneo Edition, featuring pioneering bartenders from East Malaysia, as well as young talents making their mark overseas.
The week-long festivities will culminate in the inaugural Bar Show Malaysia at Ascott Gurney Penang, where the 7,000-sqft Cocktail Convention Centre will host over 20 spirit and liqueur brand booths, along with seminars, masterclasses, and bartending activities. A poolside closing party at Ascott Gurney’s Glass Bar promises to cap off the evening with a splash.
Over the past three years, PCW has become Malaysia’s largest cocktail and bartending festival, striving to elevate industry standards while placing Penang’s vibrant bar scene on the global map – seeking the same recognition long enjoyed by its celebrated culinary peers. With the 2025 edition promising even bigger highlights, this is one festival that bar enthusiasts will not want to miss. If you’re not convinced, here’s the daily lineup for Penang Cocktail Week 2025:
1 September (Monday)
- Welcome Party at Mojo Jojo, Lyf George Town Penang – featuring bars from North America: Bar Bello (Montreal), Cry Baby Gallery (Toronto), Laowai (Vancouver), and Thunderbolt (Los Angeles)
- Bar Takeover: Islands in the Sun – Potato Head (Bali) at Chez Chez
- Bar Takeover: Islands in the Sun – El Lequio (Okinawa) at Nomad
- Bar Takeover: Islands in the Sun – The Public House (Taipei) at Backdoor Bodega
- Bar Takeover: Islands in the Sun – The Elephant Room (Singapore) at No Bar Here
2 September (Tuesday)
- Bar Takeover: Vietnam All Stars – The Hudson’s Room (Hanoi) at BaoBae
- Bar Takeover: Vietnam All Stars – Gallery Bespoke (Hanoi) at The Suckling Pig
- Bar Takeover: Vietnam All Stars – Hybrid (Saigon) at The Nest
- Bar Takeover: Vietnam All Stars – Workshop14 (Hanoi) at No Bar Here
- Bar Takeover: Vietnam All Stars – The Hudson’s Room (Hanoi) at BaoBae
- Bar Takeover: Between The Sips (Jakarta) at Chez Chez
- After Party: Vietnam All Stars – The Enigma Mansion (Saigon) at BISO
3 September (Wednesday)
- PCW Tiki Bowl at Penang Bowl – presented by Bumbu Rum with JungleBird (KL)
- Izakaya Under The Stars: Dear Hearts (Petaling Jaya) at Nood Nood
- Bar Takeover: The Road Less Shaken – ZLB23 (Bengaluru) at The Nest
- Bar Takeover: The Road Less Shaken – The Continental Bar (Chiangmai) at Khaosan Tapas Bar
- Bar Takeover: The Road Less Shaken – Fibona (Danang) at Nomad
- Bar Takeover: The Road Less Shaken – CMYK (Changsha) at No Bar Here
- Malaysian Invasion: The Best of Borneo ft. Joshua Pang, Jason Julian, Anna Sulan Masing and Joe Ngui at Biso
- Food & Drinks: Live Twice (Singapore) at BaoBae
- Bar Takeover: Native (Singapore) at Backdoor Bodega
- Malaysian Invasion: The Best of Borneo ft. Ash Mariano, Rizal Junior, Osmund Bernard, and Amar Pawaka at The Cellar (Macalister Mansion)
4 September (Thursday)
- Food & Drinks: Tequila Thursday – Código Coffee Shop Sessions at Small Places
- Food & Drinks: Herradura House Party ft. Raz Ng & DJ Rudya t Communal Table by Gēn 根
- Food & Drinks: Rum & Yum – Fifty Tales (Petaling Jaya) at REMBAR
- Bar Takeover: Ruki Robatayaki (Wollongong) at Khaosan Tapas Bar
- Bar Takeover: ICW in Penang! – Spirit Forward (Bengaluru) at The Nest
- Bar Takeover: ICW in Penang! – Hideaway (Goa) at No Bar Here
- Bar Takeover: ICW in Penang! – PCO (Delhi) at Biso
- Bar Takeover: Shawn Chong (Kuala Lumpur) at ROUND
- The #FindTheLockerRoom Experience at Backdoor Bodega
- After Party: PCW Service Swap ft. Yee Ming Koh, Johnson Wong, Thanesh Joel, & Felix Schumacher at NEP
5 September (Friday)
- Studio Lates by Mr Lyan Studio (London) @ Lucky Hole
- Bar Takeover: Ruki Robatayaki (Wollongong) at Khaosan Tapas Bar
- Bar Takeover: Kravat Bar (Phnom Penh) at Nomad
- Bar Takeover: Aki Nakata (Singapore) at BaoBae
- Bar Takeover: The Curator (Manila) at The Suckling Pig
- Jao Tim to Go ft. Mambo Jambo Live (Kuala Lumpur) at The Cellar
- After Party: Midnight Mayhem with Bae’s (Singapore) x Up & Away (Kuala Lumpur) at SORA
6 September (Saturday)
- Sips On The Beach – Humboldt (Kuala Lumpur) at Ferringhi Bay
- PCW Party Bus
- Food & Drinks: PCW Taiwan Takeover – Musou (Taichung) at BaoBae
- Bar Takeover: PCW Taiwan Takeover – Ron Xinyi (Taipei) at ROUND
- Bar Takeover: PCW Taiwan Takeover – Voyage (Taichung) at Khaosan Tapas Bar
- Bar Takeover: PCW Taiwan Takeover – Chikan Pharmacy (Tainan) at Nomad
- Bar Takeover: PCW Taiwan Takeover – Ao (Taichung) at The Nest
- Bar Takeover: PCW Taiwan Takeover – Dimension (Taichung) at The Mandarin
- Bar Takeover: Bangkok Block2Block – Dry Wave Cocktail Studio at Good Friends Club
- Bar Takeover: Bangkok Block2Block – Tax Bar at The Suckling Pig
- Bar Takeover: Bangkok Block2Block – BKK Social Club at Chez Chez
- Bar Takeover: Bangkok Block2Block – Dicky & Ryan at No Bar Here
- Bar Takeover: Bangkok Block2Block – Vesper at Good Friends Club
- Bar Takeover: Bangkok Block2Block – Thaipioka at Backdoor Bodega
- Bar Takeover: Rhu Bar (Langkawi) at The Cellar
- After Party: Daniyel Jones (Trinidad & Tobago) at BISO
7 September (Sunday)
- Bar Show Malaysia 2025 at Ascott Gurney Penang
- Young, Hungry, & Female ft. Apoorva Kohli (Bengaluru), Demitria Paramita (Jakarta) & Ellen Xu (Hangzhou)
- Bar Takeover: STG (Wuhan) at The Mandarin
- Bar Takeover: Book Ing (Taipei) & Wing Lei Bar (Macau) at Backdoor Bodega
- PCW2025 Closing Party ft. Boilermaker (Goa) & Cosmo Pony (Jakarta)
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit penangcocktailweek.com or follow @penangcocktailweek on Instagram.
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