Coachella, meantime, has Lana Del Rey, Peso Pluma, Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat, J Balvin, Ice Spice and Blur, among many others, on its roster. Tickets have sold out for both festivals, known as annual sponsor magnets, with heavyweights such as American Express, Coca-Cola, Google, Toyota and Marriott signing on this year.
Day drinking
A variety of spiritless booze brands are headed to Indio’s festival grounds, about 130 miles outside of Los Angeles, as part of The New Bar’s Stagecoach and Coachella programs, among them French Bloom, Recess, Ritual Zero Proof, Optimist, Hop Wtr and Kin Euphorics.
Several participating brands will be using the influential music shows—held on three consecutive weekends at the same rural polo grounds—to introduce new and refreshed products to the young tastemaker crowds that flock there.
Executives at Free Spirits said they see their festival participation as a strong launching pad for their new ready-to-drink cocktails, a Kentucky mule and a margarita, packaged in slim, colorful cans. (RTDs are the “most rapidly expanding no-alcohol subcategory” in the U.S., per IWSR, with 18% growth by 2026.)
“The amount of creativity and artistry and energy at an event like Coachella is just stunning, yet all-day drinking kind of defeats the purpose,” Milan Martin, founder and CEO of Free Spirits, told ADWEEK. “This partnership means that people can choose to have delicious, complex drinks that elevate the experience further—so they can keep their wits about them and they’re not stumbling around in the desert by noon.”
The New Bar’s stand-alone cocktail bars and inclusion in pop-up restaurants and concessions around the festival grounds makes a statement to consumers, Martin said.
“The alcohol industry has been telling everyone for years that alcohol has to be the star player,” Martin said. “But the more people see NA drinks all over these events, the more they will start to connect the dots and realize that alcohol doesn’t have to drive a good time.”
