October 10 and 11, 2026, at Paseo de Roxas along Ayala Triangle, Salcedo Village, Makati. Coffee Home Brewers has confirmed free festival entry and announced two competitions for its second KapeCon. The full program is still forthcoming as of September 30. Here is what is confirmed, what remains open, and how to explore Philippine coffee before the weekend.
When
10-11 Oct 2026
Saturday + Sunday
Where
Paseo de Roxas, Makati
Along Ayala Triangle, Salcedo Village
What KapeCon is
Most Manila coffee events start from the industry and invite the public in. KapeCon runs the other way. Coffee Home Brewers began in 2019 as a Facebook group for people making coffee in their own kitchens — founded by Rosario Juan — and grew past 67,000 members trading dial-in advice, gear reviews, and roaster recommendations. KapeCon is that group stepping outside for a weekend: the same people, on an actual street, with the roasters and distributors they've been posting about.
That origin shapes the floor. Where the Philippine Coffee Expo leans trade and the Manila Coffee Festival leans broad, KapeCon skews toward the person who owns a hand grinder and has opinions about it. Expect gear you can touch, brewing you can watch up close, and booth conversations that go three questions deeper than “what's your bestseller.”
The first edition, in October 2025, was co-presented with Ayala Land and Make It Makati and drew close to 15,000 people over two days — more than 50 booths of local roasters, cafes and equipment distributors, plus competitions, panels and workshops. Entry was free. For a first-time event organized out of a Facebook group, that turnout is the story: the Philippine home-brewing scene is much bigger than its quiet online footprint suggests.
What to expect in 2026
Festival entry is free, and Coffee Home Brewers has posted merchant logos and two competition announcements. Its official media page says the full program is still forthcoming. Plan around the confirmed sessions below and check the organizer for updates; daily opening hours are not confirmed here.
The floor
Booths and pop-ups
The organizer has published merchant logos on its official site. Check its announced participants. The first edition in 2025 had more than 50 booths; that historical count does not establish the number or lineup for 2026.
Competitions
Brewdowns and latte art
The Latte Art Twosome Throwdown is announced for October 10 at 2 PM. The official registration form gives competitors a noon call time and lists a nonrefundable ₱500 entry fee per pair. Kape't Kamay is announced for October 11; its registration is marked closed as of September 30. Festival entry and competition participation are separate.
Programming
Panels and workshops
The full 2026 program is still forthcoming. In 2025, panels covered launching a roasting business and running a cafe, with hands-on sessions including brewing basics, coffee painting and pottery. Those are historical examples, not a confirmed 2026 timetable or a statement about this year's fees.
Pick your corner before you go.
Taste with intent: know which corner of the Process Spectrum you're interested in, then compare the coffees you find on the day. Check the organizer's merchant announcements when planning visits to specific booths.
Bright, floral, tea-like.
Balanced, chocolatey, familiar.
Juicy, fruit-forward, sweet.
Funky, fermented, unconventional.
Don't know your corner yet? The palate quiz takes less than a minute — finish it before you set foot on the street.
Philippine roasters to explore
These Philippine roasters have catalog records in the Cascara directory. Their inclusion here does not establish KapeCon attendance, event affiliation or stock on the festival floor. For announced merchants, check Coffee Home Brewers.
Makati
Third-wave specialty roastery sourcing from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia and the Philippines, with cafes in Makati, Ortigas,…
Cebu City
Cebu City roaster offering traceable Philippine coffee with farm-to-cup transparency, shipping single origins and rare lots…
Paranaque
Makati
Makati cafe and roastery serving specialty single-origin coffee roasted in-house, with branches on Jimenez and San Isidro.
Muntinlupa
Curve Coffee Collaborators is a Philippine specialty roaster focused on award-winning, traceable single-origin and microlot…
Quezon City
Makati
Makati specialty coffee roaster and equipment distributor (La Marzocco, Rocket), with branches across Metro Manila.
Manila
Escolta Coffee Company is a Manila-based specialty roaster focused on Philippine-origin coffees — sourcing and roasting from…
San Juan
San Juan-based specialty roaster focused on light-roast beans for retail and wholesale to quality-driven cafes.
Mandaluyong
Mandaluyong specialty coffee roaster supplying roasted beans, barista training and equipment, with a flagship inside Shangri-La…
Cagayan De Oro
Mandaluyong
Mandaluyong specialty coffee retailer and roaster catering to home enthusiasts, with branches on Sheridan and Mabini and a wide…
Davao City
Davao specialty roaster founded by Beauford Ma, sourcing from independent farms worldwide and award-winning Philippine…
Quezon City
Quezon City specialty roaster passionately roasting local and imported single-origin and blended beans since 2016, with fresh…
Makati
Third-wave Manila cafe and roastery co-founded by Bryant Dee, roasting single-origin and Filipino-African espresso blends…
Antipolo
Working a street festival without burning out.
Check entry and activity terms. Coffee Home Brewers confirms free festival entry and links to festival tickets. Competition registration has separate terms; the Latte Art Twosome Throwdown fee is ₱500 per pair and nonrefundable.
Plan around announced sessions. The Latte Art Twosome Throwdown is listed for Saturday at 2 PM, with a noon call time for competitors. Check the full program when it is published before planning the rest of your visit.
Eat first. Coffee on an empty stomach reads sharper, more acidic, and more fatiguing. A real meal before your first cup changes how everything after it tastes.
Stop swallowing by the second hour. Sommelier rules. After about four cups your receptors are overloaded and your judgement collapses. Sip, assess, put it down.
Take notes on your phone. By the time you're home you will not remember which booth had the strawberry natural. Photograph the bag, type one sentence about the cup. Two-line notes beat zero-line memory.
It's outdoors in October. Paseo de Roxas is a street, and October in Manila is still rainy-season roulette. Bring an umbrella you can carry with a cup in the other hand.
Calibrate before you go.
Find a starting point for the coffee styles you want to compare before you visit Paseo de Roxas.
Start calibrating →Exhibiting at KapeCon? Get listed in the cellar.
People who taste something they love at the festival go home and search for it. If your roastery isn't in the Cascara directory, that search ends nowhere. Listing is free — a permanent profile with your full bean lineup and member ratings, indexed and discoverable year-round.
gil@cascara.cafe →Exploring coffee at home? The current Draft board offers specialty-coffee portions from 20g where available, with one-off ordering and subscription options. Check the board for current availability.
Common questions
When is KapeCon 2026?
Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11, 2026, at Paseo de Roxas along Ayala Triangle, Salcedo Village, Makati. The full program is still forthcoming as of September 30. This guide does not treat the event listing's start and end times as verified daily opening hours.
Is KapeCon free to attend?
Yes. Coffee Home Brewers confirms free festival entry for 2026 and links to festival tickets. Competition participation has separate terms: the Latte Art Twosome Throwdown registration form lists a nonrefundable ₱500 fee per pair. Free festival entry does not cover that competition fee.
Who organizes KapeCon?
Coffee Home Brewers — a Filipino Facebook group of home brewers that started in 2019 and has grown past 67,000 members, founded by Rosario Juan. KapeCon is its flagship event: the online group brought into the physical world for a weekend. The 2025 edition was co-presented with Ayala Land and Make It Makati.
What happened at KapeCon 2025?
The first edition drew close to 15,000 people over two days at the same venue, with more than 50 booths from local roasters, cafes and equipment distributors. Programming included the Kape't Kamay Brewdown duo brewing competition, a Latte Art Showdown, expert panels on starting a roastery and running a cafe, and workshops from coffee painting to brewing basics.
What can I expect at KapeCon 2026?
The organizer has posted merchant logos and announced the Latte Art Twosome Throwdown on October 10 at 2 PM, with a noon call time for competitors, and Kape't Kamay on October 11. Kape't Kamay registration is marked closed as of September 30. The full program, including session times beyond those announcements, is still forthcoming. Check the organizer for updates.
How is KapeCon different from the Philippine Coffee Expo, the Manila Coffee Festival, and Coffee Plz?
Four events, four organizers, four audiences. The Philippine Coffee Expo (June, Makati) is the trade-leaning industry show. The Manila Coffee Festival (July) is the broad consumer festival. Coffee Plz (September) is roaster-run and tasting-first. KapeCon (October) grew out of a home-brewing group, so it skews toward the person behind a kitchen grinder: gear, technique, and meeting the people you've only known as usernames.
How should I work the floor at KapeCon?
Decide which coffee styles you want to explore before you go: Clean, Classic, Fluid or Experimental. Check the organizer's merchant announcements rather than treating the Cascara directory as an exhibitor list. Take notes on cups you enjoy, and use the palate quiz if you want a starting point for comparing styles.