If three whiskey samples are enough to constitute a “flight” of spirits, then this festival coming to the area is a veritable airport. Tampa Bay Whiskey Riot, which debuted to sold-out crowd last winter, is returning for 2025, offering guests more than 200 whiskies and cocktails to sample from to their heart’s content.
Whiskey Riot takes place Saturday, February 1 at the St. Pete Coliseum (535 4th Ave N, St. Petersburg) from 3-7 pm, and tickets are available now. We highly recommend securing yours early if interested, given the demand for last year’s inaugural festival and the rave reviews from those in attendance. In fact, last year’s festival sold out a full two weeks in advance.
As organizers note, trying new whiskies can be expensive, and taking a chance on new bottles at the store can be hit-or-miss at best. In this sprawling event, whiskey enthusiasts (or just those who are a little whiskey curious) can “sample hundreds of bottles without buying hundreds of bottles,” which certainly sounds like a good deal to us.
Local, regional, national and even international brands will be on hand talking to attendees about their products and offering unlimited samples of their wares. And in addition to the whiskey tasting, there will be craft cocktails, seminars with master distillers, and much more.
Try 200 whiskies for the price of one bottle
General Admission tickets are $90 and include unlimited sampling of 200+ whiskeys, access to seminars, and entry to the full festival grounds from 4-7 pm, including cocktail bars. All tickets also include a specialty keepsake Whiskey Riot tasting glass.
VIP tickets are $120, and in addition to all GA perks, they also include a full hour of early entry before GA entry, special access to select limited edition and rare whiskies that will not be available during the General Admission time, and premium access to every whiskey brand and cocktail bar.
Whiskey Riot organizers were kind enough to break down the math for attendees eager to try a new world of whiskey without breaking the bank:
Estimated Cost of 200 Bottles of Whiskey: $45/bottle x 200 bottles = $9,000
Cost of Trying 200 Whiskeys at Whiskey Riot = 1 Ticket
Not a bad deal.
For such a buzzworthy event, we highly encourage all attendees to use rideshare services such as Uber/Lyft for this event. With the CrossBay Ferry operating year-round, this is an excellent excuse to catch a ride by water.
Learn more and get your Tampa Bay Whiskey Riot tickets here.
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