A Hard Seltzer Festival Is Touring the Country This Summer

hard seltzer festival 2020
Courtesy of Cannonball Productions
Courtesy of Cannonball Productions

If you're still wondering whether the hard seltzer boom is for real, here's a dead canary in the coal mine that you can toss on that pile of dead canaries near the wall behind you. Yup, right over there. 

The folks behind the annual Bacon and Beer Classic, the New York-based Cannonball Productions, are launching the first nationally-touring hard seltzer festival with plans to visit nine US cities in summer 2020. Selter Land is bringing last year's drink of the summer to the seltzer-loving public, giving you a chance to test your hypothesis that all hard seltzers taste the same. The announcement touts the opportunity to choose your samples from a list of more than 100 seltzers.

The announcement promises some of the biggest names in hard seltzer as well as entries from local brands in each city. The initial list includes White Claw, Corona Hard Seltzer, Bon & Viv, Willie's Superbrew, Crook & Marker, Wild Basin, SeekOut Real Hard Seltzer, and Itz Spritz. Others that will be available in select cities, per the Seltzer Land website, include seltzers from Four Loko, Bolo, Hard Frescos, Bravazzi, Calicraft, Mural, Bud Light, San Juan, 10 Barrel Brewing, and Willie's Superbrew. That's a whole lot of participation from brands owned by big beer, including Bud Light's new seltzer. It's clear that, with White Claw still dominating sales and Bud Light taking out Super Bowl ads, the battle for seltzer supremacy is oh, so far from over.

"Hard seltzers sales have ‘spiked’ over the past year, and they’re not slowing down. Across the board, one thing is clear: everybody loves hard seltzer," Cannonball Productions CEO & founder Kate Levenstien said in a statement. "With new brands and flavors popping up every month, we want to create an opportunity for fans to explore their palates, and brands to showcase their variety through an immersive tasting experience."

The first tickets will go on sale on February 13, with tickets go on sale at different times for each city. Those cities will include Minneapolis (April 18), Chicago (May 9), New York (May 16), Seattle (June 13), Nashville, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, and Austin. Though, dates for each city are not yet available. Tickets start at $29 and include entry, hard seltzer samples, live music, games, and "insta-worthy food." 

If you, for some reason, hoped hard seltzer was about to disappear from sight, better luck next year. 

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Dustin Nelson is a Senior Staff Writer at Thrillist. Follow him @dlukenelson.