How Beer and Wine Festivals Appeal to Designated Drivers

Beer and wine festivals are rapidly expanding events, especially during the shoulder seasons of fall and spring when the temperatures are not as extreme and adults are looking for ways to fill their weekends between football and baseball games. Getting to these festivals is usually a feat on its own as many are located in remote areas such as countryside vineyards or breweries inaccessible by public transit. To get there, attendees must find a designated driver to accompany them to these events, which isn’t necessarily a fun outing for the one with the car keys. However, the Great American Beer Festival in Denver found a way to make the event just as fun for sober attendees.

At the Colorado Convention Center, event planners designated a special lounge for DDs or attendees who simply don’t drink alcohol. In this sober lounge, visitors can sample specially prepared (and free!) food and beverages like craft sodas, and enjoy free chair massages and streaming movies.

Whether event-goers are pregnant, calorie conscious or just searching for a relaxed, alcohol-free event, the lounge creates an environment of booze-less fun where folks can socialize, play card games, knit or spend some therapeutic time with an adult coloring book.

This annual festival has featured a no-alcohol lounge since 2001, but national festivals are following suit by offering this incentive for attendees to forgo the beer and ensure friends and family get home safely.