Are you on the home stretch of completing your Dry-January goal or interested in making a plan with friends that doesn’t involve alcohol? Then you will definitely be interested in experiencing the largest mindful drinking festival in the country this weekend, which just so happens to be right here at Dock5 of D.C.’s Union Market! The D.C. Mindful Drinking Fest is the biggest of its kind in the country, connecting the biggest, the best, and the most up-and-coming names in the mindful drinking industry to connect customers and brands through events, experiences, samples, and more.
While the core sampling event and core ceremonies will be hosted at Union Market’s Dock5, this weekend will be full of mindful fun with a wide variety of activities taking place all across the city at participating local businesses and partners! Tickets for the full weekend of events will be a total of $149 plus fees (under $50 per day) and tickets for the rave event even alone are $39 plus fees.
D.C. Mindful Drinking Fest – Friday Agenda
The festivities will commence on Friday, January 26th at 5 pm with a kick-off ceremony and toast hosted by the non-alcoholic bubbly beverage brand, Töst. The toast with Töst will be held at Playhaus, an immersive art exhibit at Union Market featuring live music and creative photo opportunities. Following the opening toast ceremony, at 6 pm and lasting until 8 pm, a planned bar tour will commence and take patrons on a tour of participating bars in D.C. that include some of the top bars in D.C. (and the world) such as Allegory, Service Bar, and Death and Co. where you can order and try a wide variety of specialty non-alcoholic drinks at a reduced price. To wrap up the festivities on Friday, at around 8 pm guests are invited, once again, to Playhaus to join in karaoke and enjoy a selection of innovative and exciting mindful drinks!
D.C. Mindful Drinking Fest – Saturday Agenda
Considering that non-alcoholic beverages, or mindful drinks, are just a small aspect of the pursuit of mindfulness, it makes sense that Saturday’s fun kicks off with an activity centered around connecting your mind and body: yoga! At 8 am on Saturday at The Morrow Rooftop, a gentle ‘sunrise’ yoga session will be hosted and free to attend with any general access ticket.
Next, the main event of the fest, the ‘grand tasting hall’ starts at 10 am on Saturday at Dock5 and continues throughout the day until 5 pm. Here patrons will be able to venture out onto the tasting floor and explore the 40+ brands on display and sample the 120+ products while supplies last. At the same time, there will also be a Boisson pop-up show hosted at Playhaus, where patrons can shop an additional selection of non-alcoholic products.
To close out Saturday’s fest, from 9 pm until 3 am, at Culture, one of the top clubs in D.C., Disco Mary is hosting the largest non-alcoholic rave in D.C. complete with a list of DJs and an incredible selection of non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy!
Saturday’s speakers
At 10 am on Dock5’s main stage, industry marketing experts will be discussing marketing tactics for mindful creators and how to maximize reach and engagement for their businesses.
At 1 pm on Dock5’s main stage, mindful drinking experts discuss strategies on how to make mindful drinking easier beyond ‘Dry January’ and empower your decision to commit to mindful drinking.
At 2 pm on Dock5’s main stage, the keynote speaker, Tawyn Lara, AKA “The Sober Sexpert”, discusses alcohol-free sex and dating.
Saturday’s Destination Bartenders
As part of The Mindful Drinking Fest’s planned activities, they are taking some of the world’s top bartenders and bringing them to D.C. to display their abilities and offer some of their most iconic non-alcoholic cocktails!
From 3 pm to 4 pm, the first destination bartender of the fest will be Joshua James, from San Francisco, who is the owner of Ocean Beach Cafe & Non-Alcoholic Bar.
From 4 pm to 5 pm, the next destination bartender will be Camille Vidal from London, who is the founder of La Maison Wellness!
D.C. Mindful Drinking Fest – Sunday Agenda
Sunday’s Mindful Drinking Fest festivities are kicked off once again with a morning yoga session at 8 am at The Murrow Rooftop, but if you are less interested in a second round of yoga, at 8:30 am there is a planned hike that guests can opt for with certified forest therapy guide, Sarah DeWitt, but the exact location of this hike has yet to be announced.
Starting again at 10 am at Dock5, the ‘grand tasting hall’ will continue throughout the day until 5 pm on Sunday. Once again, patrons will be able to venture out onto the tasting floor and explore the 40+ brands on display and sample the 120+ products while supplies last. At the same time, there will once again be a Boisson pop-up show hosted at Playhaus, where patrons can shop an additional selection of non-alcoholic products.
Sunday’s speakers
At 10 am on Dock5’s main stage, industry experts are trying to “look into the crystal ball” and forecast the future trajectory of the mindful drinking industry and predict upcoming innovations in the world of non-alcoholic products.
At 1 pm on Dock5’s main stage, cocktail (and mocktail) experts are going to display how to make stunning non-alcoholic cocktails using high-quality ingredients!
At 2 pm on Dock5’s main stage, the keynote speaker of the day, Nick Bodkins, the founder and president of Boisson, one of the biggest mindful beverage businesses in the world!
Sunday’s Destination Bartenders
From 3 pm to 4 pm, the first destination bartender of the day will be Pamela Wiznitzer, from New York City, who is one of the leading female mixologists in the country!
From 4 pm to 5 pm, the last destination bartender of the fest is going to be none other than part-time alchemist and part-time beverage consultant, Bjorn Taylor, from Austin Texas.