Get out your day-glo body paint and fuzzy boots because festival season is about to start with Coachella’s two-weekend-long party – and this year the adult non-alcoholic (ANA) category is coming out in force.

Los Angeles-based The New Bar is returning to the Indio, Calif., fest for its third year – as well as its second year at sister event Stagecoach, which takes place at the end of the month. The packed menu includes some of the biggest names in ANA like Recess, Almave, Optimist, Free AF and Hop WTR, among others.

“When we first partnered with Coachella in 2022, we set out to prove that alcohol-free options deserve space on the biggest stage — now they're an expectation,” said The New Bar founder and CEO Brianda Gonzalez in a statement.

The ANA category has progressively moved deeper into the festival and events space. Live music has become a prime opportunity to engage with sober-curious consumers and educate people on the category. 

ANA is also giving ordinary non-alc brands a fresh angle to play. Coachella’s hydration sponsor Electrolit is getting in on the “soberchella” scene this year by leveraging its partnership with the Venice Run Club to host an Electrolit Campground 5K.

And it’s not just the SoCal festival goers who are getting the sober treatment:

• Focus on Health, a hospitality consulting group specializing in ANA, is bringing back its traveling No/Low Tour sponsored by The Pathfinder and Ritual Zero Proof.

• Last year, hiyo signed a five-year deal with electronic music event promoter Insomniac, solidifying its foothold in live events. 

• Some intoxicating hemp beverage brands are also seeing demand rise – albeit the opportunities are fewer based on state regulations and event promoters' appetite to delve into the gray area of hemp-derived THC.

☠️ Even a brand like Liquid Death, with its deceptively designed cans made to look more like beer than plain ol’ water, has been adept at disrupting the space via its exclusive Live Nation deal – now adding a big new client this week via an integrated marketing deal with Madison Square Garden Entertainment.

The increased demand at live events stands in contrast to ANA’s slower adoption in on-premise where it can be seen by many bartenders or bar managers as an afterthought. Yet, the data shows the category is not slowing down and nearly reached $1 billion in sales last year as more consumers opt for a drier approach to partying.

With a national relaunch in its crosshairs, RTD sparkling soju brand Hello Soju netted $6.8 million in a funding round led by a personal investment from venture capitalist Ted Schlein. 

🎶 Hello Soju first launched in 2023 at the Coachella music festival, but the brand is now touting a refreshed look and an updated formula produced locally in California.

🐂 Former Red Bull North America CEO Dan Ginsberg and Range Media co-founder Sandey Kang are also now joining Hello Soju’s board of directors.

Celebrity stoners like Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson and Seth Rogen have all staked out a piece of the growing THC drink market on behalf of their respective cannabis business empires-in-the-making. But don’t overlook legendary actor/comedian (and longtime weed advocate) Whoopi Goldberg, who’s adding beverages to her portfolio of cannabis ventures with Whoop-Tea.

🍋 Few details on the product itself were included in yesterday’s announcement, but Whoop-Tea is pitched as an Arnold Palmer (half lemonade, half iced tea) infused with 10mg hemp THC and was created with woman-owned Pure Genesis, a cannabis producer with licenses in New Jersey, New York and Florida.

📆 The release noted this was “just one of four beverages in the Genesis line,” but we should know more closer to Whoop-Tea’s formal unveiling on June 5 in New York City.

💼 Goldberg may have an EGOT, but her business credentials are nothing to discount: under her WhoopFam umbrella, the View host was an early adopter of CBD and currently runs female-focused holistic medicine brand Whoopi & Maya and premium cannabis lifestyle brand Emma & Clyde.

Before we head into the weekend, we rounded up all of the hottest new products and sorted them for our latest new product gallery. Here’s a preview of what was stocked this week:

💧 Sparkling water brand Waterloo headed to Flavortown with restaurateur Guy Fieri, launching three new limited-edition flavors with the Emmy award-winning TV personality: Lemon Italian Ice, Huckleberry Cobbler and Spiced Mango Sorbet. 

☕ It may only be spring, but La Colombe is paying homage to a classic summertime campfire treat with its latest draft latte flavor: S’mores. The new offering is crafted with 100% Arabica, single-origin Colombian cold brew coffee and has 100mg of caffeine per 9 oz. can.

🍄 Cannabis- and mushroom-infused beverage maker BRĒZ has unveiled its latest innovation, OG Extra Strength. Each 12 oz. can features 10mg of THC, 20mg of CBD and 2,200mg of fruiting bodies of Lion’s Mane.

Celebrity flavors, personalized bottles and a multi-million dollar real estate opportunity are just some of the latest marketing campaigns brands announced this week.

👨‍❤️‍👨 Coca-Cola is bringing back its “Share a Coke” bottles, featuring individualized names, in a move it hopes will broaden its appeal to Gen Z.

🏠 WhistlePig Whiskey is listing its Maple Sugar Shack in Vermont on Zillow for the nice price of $4.20 million.

🥸 Evolution Fresh is selling a line of “soda smuggle devices” such as fake casts, boxing gloves and cowboy hats that can help consumers sneak a can of their Real Fruit Soda into wherever it is forbidden.

Read all about these campaigns and more on BevNET.

When Walmart calls, you answer. When the retail giant offers you shelf space in 2,700 of its stores, you say “yes.” But turning that opportunity into success? That’s where the real challenge begins. Alan Scholnick, the founder of Datefix, a date-based nutrition snack brand, talks about how its two-year development from nascent idea to Walmart shelves has shaped the company’s path forward.