Inside Seltzerland 2022: Tasting Tours, On-Site Activations, Branded Booths, and More

NEW YORK—Spiked seltzers were not new when they bubbled to national stardom in 2019 with help from YouTuber Trevor Wallace, who posted a now-viral video dubbing the summer of 2019 “White Claw summer.” He also coined the catchphrase, “Ain’t no laws when drinking Claws,” which, admit it, you’ve even said when cracking open a can.

Since then, a slew of alcohol brands premiered their own canned cocktails, including Vizzy, Smirnoff, Topo Chico, Playa Mar, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Truly, and so many more. In the spirit of celebrating both well-established brands and small businesses alike, Kate Levenstien—the CEO and founder of Cannonball Productions—debuted Seltzerland in 2020.Vizzy Hard Seltzer nodded to its brand colors with an orange mobile activation.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball ProductionsFittingly, a fire dancer performed outside of Fireball's booth.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball Productions

This year, the NYC iteration of Seltzerland took place on Aug. 6. (The event previously popped up in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Miami, Nashville, and Charlotte, just to name a few.) The hard seltzer festival boasted 125-plus unique cans of alcohol-infused beverages from 36 brands, and encouraged the 2,236 fans in attendance to find their new favorite fizz as they were taken on a tasting tour around the 50,000-square-foot, outdoor event space located at Manhattan’s Pier 36.

But don’t get it twisted—brands did more than just pour samples from branded booths, and tasting stations boasted Instagram-worthy photo ops, interactive games, and branded swag. Take Fireball, for example, where “there was a fire dancer,” Levenstien explained, plus “swings that KeVita had set up, a White Claw bubble photo booth, along with frozen boozy ice pops from SLIQ.”Sunboy's standstill tasting station played on the beverage's tropical flavors with pops of live greenery and branded coconuts.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball Productions

Sports event planning company Volo Sports was also on-site at Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s tasting station, where they managed seltzer pong tournaments. And Happy Dad—which launched in 2021 to combat the stigma of hard seltzers being a drink for the demographic of party-animal young adults—made an appearance this year with a beer pong-style table game and golf-inspired lawn games.

Other standouts? “Sunboy had a bicycle cart that rode around the event, and Partáy had a literal party at their booth with leis, inflatable flamingo cup holders, and branded stick-on tattoos for guests,” Levenstien said. 

And before exiting the waterfront venue, guests voted on their favorite hard seltzer. At the end of the event, Canteen Spirits, Partáy, and Hummy Soju Seltzer came in first, second, and third place, respectively, for Best Overall Seltzer. Kate Levenstien, the CEO and founder of Cannonball Productions—the event production company behind the event—noted that Sunboy boasted a standout activation, with "a bicycle cart that rode around the event."Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball Productions

Levenstien attributed guests’ ability to sample bubbly from local and national brands alike as one of the greatest successes of the event. In addition, “it was sold out, and all of the seltzer companies were able to engage in a meaningful way with attendees.”

For non-New Yorkers looking to experience Seltzerland, the fest is traveling to Denver on Sept. 10; Minneapolis on Sept. 17; and St. Louis on Oct. 15. 

Keep scrolling for more fun moments from inside Seltzerland.Topo Chico put a spin on its traveling taco truck to serve up samples of its hard seltzer at Seltzerland.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball ProductionsUpon entering the 50,000-square-foot, outdoor event space, each of the 2,236 guests received a branded cup.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball ProductionsNew York-based DJ Brina Payne spun tracks throughout the event, which took place at Pier 36 on Manhattan's waterfront.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball ProductionsKeVita set up a swing set for guests to enjoy alongside its probiotic-infused, spiked kombuchas.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball ProductionsHappy Dad made an appearance this year with a beer pong-style table game for guests to enjoy. The cups read "Full Send," a nod to the hard seltzer's creators, Canadian-American YouTubers who go by the name of Nelk Boys.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball ProductionsSundial Cocktails gave out branded summer swag, such as beach balls, koozies, and sand pails.Photo: Courtesy of Cannonball Productions