At a Glance (China Coffee Network): "I flew from Shanghai specifically to Chengdu to attend this coffee festival." "I came from Wuhan, to exchange and learn at this coffee festival—it feels fantastic!" From Septembe…
“I flew from Shanghai specifically to Chengdu to attend this coffee festival.” “I came from Wuhan, to exchange and learn at this coffee festival—it feels fantastic!” From September 25 to 27, the “2026 Cidi World Coffee Festival” (hereinafter “the festival”) was held at Cidi CyPARK in the Chengdu High-Tech Zone. The venue gathered over 50 coffee brands from more than 20 cities across four continents. From world champions brewing on-site to Chengdu local brands’ creative specials, from those who “flew in” specially to those who stayed on to play a few extra days, the scene was buzzing with energy.
World champions “compete on the same stage”
Over 50 coffee brands spanning four continents
On September 26, a reporter visited the festival site. Zixuan, media director for the organizer, explained: “This edition raised the number of coffee brands to over 50, expanding the origins to four continents—Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania—broadening the geographic reach.”
According to prior statistics, Chengdu already has over 8,000 cafés; the holding of this festival will further “ignite” the city’s coffee-consumption enthusiasm.
World champions gathered in Chengdu to “compete on the same stage.” The reporter learned on-site that Nas Jaafar, the 2026 WBrC World Brewers Cup champion from Malaysia, came to Chengdu for the first time, brewing and pouring coffee on-site and interacting face-to-face with customers. “Besides this world champion, there are also a teacher from Thailand, and well-known domestic brand Captain George, among others,” Zixuan told the reporter.
Category diversity and creative fusion became the highlights of this festival. “Some baristas combined coffee with desserts, some tried cocktail specials, some drew inspiration from local flavors,” the reporter learned on-site. A Guiyang coffee brand used Sichuan peppercorn; a Thai coffee brand used litsea (mùjiāngzǐ) and pandan and other ingredients. Chengdu local brand “phi phi” combined desserts with coffee specials to create combo products. Zixuan said the festival hopes to use coffee as an anchor to offer Chengdu residents and visitors from out of town a chance to “travel the globe”—in one place, they can taste flavors from around the world.
Coffee is not just a drink
It is also endowed with social, lifestyle, and investment attributes
On-site, many citizens strolled and drank coffee with their families; some were asking merchants, “Can I franchise?” “Can you open one in Chengdu?” Many citizens also queued to receive coffee, and the atmosphere was warm, lively, and orderly.
Coffee enthusiast Ms. Xie told the reporter, “I usually like floral coffees and Americanos; when busy at work I always drink ‘fast-food coffee,’ but today at the festival there were many latte-art masters and pour-over masters, and the coffee made by the masters was delicious.”
Beyond consumption, the festival also became a platform for industry exchange. Many baristas on-site would “hop booths” to taste other champions’ products and learn details like brewing time, stirring method, water temperature, and water quality; brands doing roasting would also use the chance to exchange with fellow store operators and expand cooperation paths.
Ms. Wang, who came from Wuhan for the festival, told the reporter they selected 7 pour-overs, 1 special, and 1 milk extract from their store offerings, hoping customers who want a special get a special, and those who want a milk coffee get a milk coffee. “We participate in two or three similar events a year; coming to Chengdu for this festival, everyone can exchange and learn—it feels fantastic! After the event we plan to stay in Chengdu a couple more days to play.”
Shanghai tourists “flew in” to Chengdu
Coffee connects urban life
The international character of this edition is reflected not only in the merchant lineup but also in the customer structure. Many customers at the venue spoke different dialects, and there were also many foreign faces.
Mr. Li, who flew in specially from Shanghai, told the reporter, “I originally wanted to go to Thailand for a coffee festival, but then heard that world champion Nas Jaafar would come to Chengdu at the end of the month, so I chased him all the way to Chengdu.” At the venue, Mr. Li obtained Nas Jaafar’s personal signature—”This is already my 10th WBrC world-champion signature. Coming to Chengdu this time feels great; I visited some trendy landmarks and ate local snacks; in Chengdu it seems the nightlife only really begins after work.” The festival, nightlife, and city atmosphere made him feel his holiday in Chengdu was fulfilling.
This kind of cross-city pilgrimage is precisely a microcosm of Chengdu’s Mid-Autumn holiday consumption vitality. At the festival, international baristas and Chengdu’s local coffee atmosphere kept colliding. Zixuan told the reporter, “Here, people can both feel horizontally the stylistic differences between local and international baristas, and see the openness and inclusiveness of Chengdu’s coffee market.”
This Mid-Autumn, the world’s coffee gathers in Chengdu. In a cup of coffee there is the craft of world champions, the creativity of local brands, the consumption enthusiasm of citizens and visitors, and the cross-city pilgrimage that flew in from Shanghai. When the Mid-Autumn holiday meets coffee consumption, Chengdu links coffee with urban life, making “come to Chengdu for a cup of world coffee” a new choice for this holiday.
Red Star News reporter Du Yuquan, intern reporter Shuai Yiheng; some images courtesy of the organizer
Editor Li Yuyi
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