Philly Hosts U.S. Bartenders' Guild Bar Summit, Featuring William H. Macy, Danny Childs, & More

Photo via Woody Creek Distillers

Coming to Philly from April 26–29 is the United States Bartenders' Guild's Bar Summit — and yes, William H. Macy is giving the keynote.

The Summit gets underway on Sunday evening with a welcome reception at Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse from 7 PM to 9 PM to give attendees a chance to get settled in. At the Welcome Reception they'll be hosting their Northeast Regional Competition for the U.S. Cocktail Championship, their national program to find the bartenders who will represent the US at the World Cocktail Championships in Macau in October. More Information and registration for the event can be found here. 

Then the programming gets underway Monday with a keynote from William H. Macy. The Emmy-winning actor got his start behind the bar early in his career to earn some extra cash, and he's never lost his appreciation for the craft. These days, he channels that passion as "Spokesdude" for Woody Creek Distillers, the Summit's lead spirit sponsor.

Photo via Keyatta Mincey Parker

From there, sessions span the full range of what it means to work in the industry today. On the community side, programming digs into grassroots advocacy and local collaboration, giving bartenders practical tools to strengthen and elevate their home scenes, from speakers like award winning bartender Keyatta Mincey Parker. Check out the full list of speakers here.

Parker is also hosting fundraiser pop-ups in support of A Sip of Paradise Garden, a nonprofit bartender and hospitality community garden she founded in 2020. Her events will take place Sunday, April 26, 2–5 PM at A Man Full of Trouble, and Monday, April 27, 5–8 PM at Almanac.

Photo via Danny Childs

On the technical side for the Summit, James Beard Award winner Danny Childs — the mind behind Old City's hyper-seasonal cocktail bar Almanac — will teach about time-honored methods of fermentation, preservation and infusion behind his Slow Drinks philosophy.

Photo via Woody Creek Distillers

William H. Macy fans not attending the Bar Summit also have a chance to meet him Saturday, April 25 at BOTLD in Rittenhouse by purchasing two bottles of Woody Creek by Thursday, April 23 in store or online here.

Those that can't attend the full event can buy tickets to the Meet the Sponsors Event, or attend the Seminars, or the Chapter Awards Dinner. Those tickets can be purchased here.

The Bar Summit wraps up Wednesday, April 29 with a distillery activation and happy hour at Philadelphia Distilling from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

Grab your tickets for the full Bar Summit here.

Event Date: 04/26, 04/27, 04/28, 04/29
Event Time: Various times
Location: Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
Price: Tickets Vary
Website: https://barsummit.usbg.org