More than 400 people gathered for a summer pop-up at the New York Mets’ home stadium, Citi Field in Queens, snapping photos with team mascots, listening to DJ sets, playing lawn games and drinking cocktails, beer and wine—minus the booze.
The four-day activation—a partnership between the MLB franchise and event company Absence of Proof—put young nonalcoholic brands like Spiritless, Surely and Ritual in the same environment with legacy liquor giants Heineken, Molson Coors and Anheuser-Busch.
The party doubled as a fundraiser for the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, with some $12,000 in proceeds going to Elmcor, a health services and substance treatment nonprofit. Organizers point to the event as a precedent-setter for future mashups of mainstream entertainment and alcohol-free libations.
“We think this could open doors at places that maybe didn’t believe in the concept of nonalcoholic cocktails before,” Elizabeth Gascoigne, founder of Absence of Proof, told Adweek.