Booze no more.
Squeezing “alcohol free” and “festival” into the same sentence could be a head-scratcher, but the Big Apple is set to host its first-ever booze-free bonanza in Chelsea this Saturday.
Living life without alcohol or simply practicing moderation is more than just a lifestyle; it’s a movement that has exploded across the city.
Some scotch guzzling skeptics might wonder when the “sober” jig is going to be up — but the Drinks with Benefits festival is proof (pun intended) that this movement is here to stay.
The event’s brain trust is on a mission to shake up Manhattan’s social scene and prove that both things can co-exist — and that the sober curious and non-drinkers can actually let loose on a Saturday in NYC.
“The culture is shifting, Gen Z [specifically] is drinking a lot less, and we wanted to create a vibe built around things to do without alcohol,” fest co-creator and VP of marketing at The Daily Pour, the platform behind the festival, Amanda Paul-Garnier told The Post.
Nowadays, people looking to have a booze-free night can walk into just about any bar in the city and sip on a — what some might call overpriced — $15 mocktail.
And in recent years, booze-free bottle shops like Spirited Away (177 Mott St.) and Minus Moonshine (433 Sterling Place) have even opened, allowing customers to explore a wide range of alcohol-free and functional beverage brands in a setting that mirrors a traditional liquor store.
“It’s a really exciting shift in the right direction. New York has always been ahead of the curve in food, culture and nightlife, so it’s only fitting that the first zero-proof festival is happening here,” Gen Z festivalgoer Maddie Costantino, 26, told The Post.
She’ll be one of about 1,000 people expected to show up — a staggering turnout for a city that thrives on selling thirsty customers $60 martinis.
“It shows that sober curious living and alternative beverage culture aren’t just trends anymore. They’re becoming part of the city’s norm,” Costantino added.
According to Alex Highsmith, co-owner and general manager of Spirited Away, which opened in 2020, business is booming.
“Business increases by double digits organically every year, and we don’t advertise. We will probably do about 40% of our sales in the next three months,” she told The Post about the upcoming holiday season.
While sober living might have once had a stigma attached to it, the point of this weekend’s festival is to flip any negative stereotypes on its head and add to that increasing interest in NYC’s zero-proof culture in a fun and sexy way.
However, Paul-Garnier and Michael DiBugnara, event producer and festival co-creator, were careful not to label the all-day affair as a “sober” festival because they didn’t want to exclude or discourage anyone, especially those who drink, from attending.
The six-hour-long ticketed event — $85 for general admission and $125 for VIP — will be held at The Altman Building (135 W. 18th St.).
Those who snagged a ticket will not only be introduced to over 60 non-alcoholic and buzzy beverages — including top, trend-setting brands like Ghia, French Bloom, Saint Buena Vida, Norie, Society De La Rassi, Cipriani, Wolffer Estates and Giesen.
But they’ll also be able to indulge in meditation sessions, listen to a live podcast recording on sober life hosted by a former Bravo’s “Summer House” star, taste food pairings with non-alc beverages whipped up by NYC’s hottest chefs, dabble in a mixology lab, and even check out a designated VIP section for singles looking to mingle.
With backgrounds in experiential marketing and brand building, it only made sense for the festival creators to put their brains together to fill a gap they felt was missing in NYC’s social scene.
“We noticed a shift towards sober curious, but there was nowhere to incorporate alcohol-free products aside from small parties or dinners,” DiBugnara added.
But while the Big Apple is fully embracing this new norm, there are still some challenges.
According to New York’s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Law, liquor stores legally can’t sell non-alcoholic drinks — and supermarkets that do carry these beverages practically hide them in some dusty back corner of an aisle.
To further prove that New Yorkers are ready for fun without the potential next-day hangover, if they have the financial means, they’ll soon have a designated place to go and socialize in a zero-proof way.
Justin Gurland, a 17-year-sober entrepreneur and licensed social worker, has a 2,600-person waitlist for The Maze — NYC’s first-ever alcohol-free, members-only club where folks can connect through events and activities that don’t revolve around booze.
As a private club, however, it does come with a hefty price tag.
After applying and going through the interview process, those accepted into the club, which opens Oct. 15 at 43 W. 24th St., will pay $3,300 per year, plus a one-time initiation fee of $1,500.
One big perk: it will also offer open dinner reservations to join others for a meal at the club’s restaurant, headed by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio and his Crafted Hospitality team.
It’ll be the type of place Gurland wished existed when he became sober in his 20s.
“I learned how to be a sober guy in NYC, but there wasn’t really a place to go out and be social while sober,” he told The Post.
He’s not alone in the quest.
Just last week, Bravo’s “Summer House” star Carl Radke, 40, opened the long-anticipated Soft Bar + Cafe, an alcohol-free bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn — only one of a few throughout the boroughs. It’s a concept that Radke’s partying cast members initially rolled their eyes at when he excitedly pitched it to them on the show.
The chic “bar” features a menu full of “soft cocktails” and coffeehouse-inspired drinks that probably blow any Starbucks macchiato out of the water. It’s open 7 days a week and even takes reservations — how New York of them.
But before Radke’s Brooklyn spot came onto the scene, No More Cafe, an East Village zero-proof “neighborhood corner bar” and cafe (352 E. 13th St.) was one of the first of this kind to open back in April 2024.
Its owner, Rodrigo Nogueira, said business is steady and customers wander in for various reasons — whether it’s to get some work done or to just unwind in a cozy bar atmosphere, minus the next-day hangover.
Its menu is clearly intentional — customers have the option to order anything from a zero-proof glass of red or an espresso martini-sounding mocktail for $12 to $14.
And clearly, Nogueira’s formula is working and customers can’t get enough of it.
“It’s a community here — the same people come every day. We are a really tight-knit crew,” Aaron Johnson, 39, a sober No More Cafe regular, told The Post.
“We have intelligent conversations, not that those conversations can’t happen in regular bars, but there’s a more sober reality here.”
Raising the bar(s)
Soft Bar + Cafe
200 Banker St., Brooklyn; (949) 639-2798
“Summer House” star Carl Radke’s Greenpoint venue doesn’t just feature alcohol-free options — it also offers branded merchandise, including shirts and caps to remember your visit.
No More Cafe
352 E. 13th St., Manhattan; (929) 246-2636
This “neighborhood corner bar,” open for a year and a half now, will be taking part in the Drinks With Benefits festival on Saturday.
Mockingbird
213 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn; (347) 687-0087
Open since “dry January,” the booze-free Park Slope bar has hosted events like drag bingo and has planned an Oktoberfest celebration this weekend, through Sunday.
