Mother Road Market In Tulsa Hosting Free 'Sober Sips Festival'

Each year, more and more people are participating in Dry January. Mother Road Market has taken notice of the trend and crafted a new idea.

On Saturday, January 13th from 5-8 p.m. the food hall is having its first-ever Sober Sips NA Festival. The free event is being held on the heated patio and will feature over 15 local, regional, and national brands of non-alcoholic beers and wines.

Mother Road Market's general manager, Daina Paul said, "People can actually go to different tables and meet the people that are selling it, ask questions, try different things, learn some new things, and pick up a product or two that they want to enjoy at home."

The WEL Bar inside Mother Road Market will also be crafting its own mocktails.

"The industry has grown so much," Paul continued saying, "It used to be a couple NA beers, or you would have to mix juices together and sodas, but now we have wines, champagnes, different spirits, and different beers."

The growth is to keep up with an increased demand for more non-alcoholic options. Paul said they started having Sober Sips Happy Hours at The WEL Bar in 2022 to meet the need. "It caught on and it is one of our most popular events that we do monthly," she said.

Paul herself has been sober for 5 years and said there are not a lot of events like this where people who do not drink can enjoy music, and entertainment, and try new non-alcoholic products. Indie folk rock duo Desi and Cody are providing the live music, and Zasa's Pizza & Wings will have free snacks.

"Being able to go and be a part of it and not have to sit out and enjoy just the music aspect, or just the entertainment aspect, but really get to intermingle with people that are like-minded is our goal with this," she said.

Some of the products even look and taste the same as their alcoholic counterparts. "It is a good scratch for that itch," Paul said. "If it is hot and all you want is a nice cold beer, you can grab one of those without having to worry about the effects of the alcohol."

Making the Sober Sips NA Festival a safe space for the sober, sober curious, and anyone participating in Dry January.

The event is free. CLICK HERE for more information and to reserve a ticket. For those that cannot make it on Saturday, The WEL Bar will continue having its Sober Sips Happy Hours every Friday from 5-7 p.m.