In impeccable time for ambrosial springtime weather that goes hand-in-hand with low-calorie canned drinks, Seltzerland will arrive at Klyde Warren Park on Saturday, March 18 with more than 100 fizzy flavors to sample.
The traveling hard seltzer festival began in 2020 after Cannonball Productions founder and CEO, Kate Levenstien, says she felt “overwhelmed” by the number of options at the liquor store.
The market-exploding monarch of hard seltzers, White Claw, led the charge for fruity, sparkling alcohol water in 2016. Boosted by the pandemic, the proliferation of hard seltzers since then has often been described as “meteoric.”
According to Nielsen IQ, only 10 hard seltzer brands were on the market in 2018, but by 2020, when Levenstien decided seltzer lovers needed a way to sample all of the emerging brands, there were more than 65.
IWSR Drinks Market Analysis tells The Dallas Morning News that they are currently tracking slightly under 350 hard seltzer brands in the United States, not including craft owners who exclusively sell their products on-site. And, despite a more recent rate of growth that has somewhat slowed, the segment is still estimated to earn more than $21 billion this year worldwide.
Levenstien says each year of Seltzerland ushers in another season of welcoming these new and innovative brands. “We are excited to give everyone the opportunity to sample the best hard seltzers and find new favorites, while enjoying great company [and] fun activities,” she says.
In order to help participants remember their favorites, tasting cards with QR codes to vote on different categories will be distributed at the entrance. Among several national brands, including White Claw, the event is set to feature a few Texas labels as well. Carrollton-based BuzzBallz will sponsor the specialty cocktail for premier access ticket holders: an espresso martini in souvenir color-changing cups. McKinney’s Tupps Brewery will offer their Blur craft seltzers, and Deep Ellum Brewing Company will bring their Blind Lemon. Austin-based brand Blue Norther will be there too, and Levenstien promises lots of swag from everyone.
Attendees should also look for last year’s Gold winner at both Dallas and Austin events: Clubby Seltzers expanded to Texas grocery stores this month and includes a co-founder from Houston. Clubby’s seltzers are based on the golf course cocktail from Oklahoma, the Club Special, made with vodka, lemon-lime soda, limeade, and club soda.
To complete the day of fun in the Texas sun, games like seltzer pong, ladder ball, and corn hole will be on-site, along with an inflatable bubble booth for pics for the ‘gram. The food trucks typically stationed at Klyde Warren Park will be up and running, as well as a “Can-tina” by Good Foods with perhaps the best accompaniment to seltzer, guacamole and chips.
Tickets begin at $49, and a portion of proceeds will go to Forage Forward, a national organization that supports non-profits with a focus on social justice, food banks, food sustainability, and food education.
Selzterland Dallas is 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 18 at Klyde Warren Park. 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Dallas. seltzerland.com/dallas-2023.
