The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
It’s the final countdown to our Mindful Drinking Festival and we wanted to bring you our ultimate guide to the festival so that you don’t miss a thing! We know you’ll be planning your weekend from travel to accommodation, so we’ve put together a comprehensive list of events, speakers, brands, and masterclasses so that you can arrive in beautiful Brighton relaxed and ready to have a good time. We’ve arranged a whole host of activities that we’re excited to share with you, so take a peek through our ultimate guide and plan your personal festival timetable.
Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July 2022, 10 am to 5 pm, The Open Market, Brighton, BN1 4JU
We’re filling Brighton’s famous Open Market with the best brands, drinks, speakers, and events in the no and low alcohol sector. We do love to be beside the seaside, and this iconic venue felt like the perfect place to have a great time without alcohol! Brighton Open Market is on London Road and can be accessed from Marshalls Row and Ditchling Road. The Market is between Francis Street and Baker Street, less than a 10-minute walk from Brighton’s mainline train station.
All of our are being hosted at Presuming Ed, a fabulous coffee shop just around the corner from the market at 114-115, London Rd, Brighton BN1 4JG. All of our events will be clearly signposted but also feel free to ask a Club Soda team member and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.
We aim to do three things at our Mindful Drinking Festival:
We’ve got more than 40 low and no alcohol drinks at the festival, including craft beers, wines, spirits, lower-sugar sodas, tonics, and infusions. Here’s a list of the brand you can expect to see at the festival. If you’d like to hear what the team had to say about their favourite drinks from the festival lineup, we made a podcast that you might find helpful.
We’re also incredibly grateful for the support of our drinks sponsors: Double Dutch premium mixers tonics, Heineken 0.0, Lyre’s alcohol-free spirits, and Noughty Alcohol-Free sparkling wines.
From long-time Club Soda friends to Brighton locals, industry professionals, coaches, psychologists, and drinks experts, including some of our very own team, you won’t want to miss our fireside chats or panel discussions. Don’t forget that these events are being hosted at Presuming Ed, the coffee shop at 114-115, London Rd, Brighton, BN1 4JG, just around the corner from the market. There’s no need to book in advance for any of these events. Places are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Here’s the ultimate guide to speakers you won’t want to miss!
1 pm: A fireside chat with the wonderful Veronica Valli.
Veronica is a friend of Club Soda and we’re delighted that she is our keynote speaker to kick off the festival. Veronica is a sobriety coach and host of the Soberful podcast, and an insightful human being with a ton of experience and knowledge.
2 pm: How to summer sober 1
Join our panel of experts at Club Soda’s Mindful Drinking Festival in Brighton to discover the secrets of a sober summer. Get practical tips and advice to enjoy the happiest time of year alcohol-free. Our speakers are Kate Baily from Love Sober, author and activist Bernadette Russel, Sophie Turton from The Joyful, musician and radio host Hind, and the wonderful Anit Chatrath.
3 pm: How to socialise sober
In a world that confuses drinking and socialising, and in the aftermath of a worldwide pandemic, how can you make authentic connections that don’t centre on alcohol? Emily Syphas of Sober & Social has some answers. She’s joined by Hakeem S. Allen from The Anti-Racist Social Club, Amy Armstrong from Dry but Wet, and sober local Brighton residents Katya Rose and Adam Woodhall.
4 pm: How to manage your mental health sober
Alcohol can be a go-to coping mechanism for challenges with mental health. But as many then discover, alcohol can make these problems worse rather than better. Is there a different approach? Claudia Cahalane from Vitality Qigong, Sophie Turton from The Joyful, Seb Royle, founder of Platf9rm, Jonny Stevens from Better Without as well as Hakeem S. Allen from The Anti-Racist Social Club tackle this important topic.
5 pm: How to drink without losing control
If you want to stick to your plan to have just two drinks, rather than lose control, join Club Soda co-founder Dru Jaeger to take a deep dive into the world of cutting down, moderation, and regaining control.
11 am: How to summer sober 2
It’s always great to get lots of points of view as you never know what insight from someone’s individual journey might resonate with you. So do come to the second How to Summer Sober. Panelists include Ronnie Traynor from the Sober Social, local vegan food blogger Aaron Calder, Gemma Mills from JOMO Club, and Sarah Williamson from Bee Sober and Drink Less, Live Better.
12 pm: How to manage your mental health sober 2
Our panel of experts at Club Soda’s Mindful Drinking Festival get under the skin of mental health and alcohol and explore ways to support your well-being without drinking. Our panel is chared by Sophie Turton of The Joyful. Sophie is joined by mental health advocate David Mahoney, Clare Kennedy from Brighton-based Kennedy Street Foundation, Lea Watson from Glowsober, Ronnie Traynor, from The Sober Social, and local addiction psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Flowers.
1 pm: Fireside chat with Rosie Wilby
Our second fantastic keynote speaker for the festival is Rosie Wilby. Rosie is an award-winning comedian, author of The Breakup Monologues, and accidental relationship guru. As well as giving valuable advice on how to navigate break-ups more easily, ROsie will be signing copies of her book at the end of the session.
2 pm: How to be queer and sober
As LGBTQ+ culture shifts away from bars as a primary way to make connections, how easy is it to be queer and sober? Come and explore the changing face of queer sobriety with our panel. Led by Dr. David McLaughlan, a consultant psychiatrist working in mental health and addiction, with panelists such as Maryann Wright of Sappho Events, Neil Hudson-Basing from The House of Happiness, sober British photographic artist Mark Vessey, and Amanda Sober Artist & Creative Guide, these festival speakers will inspire you to live your life, your way.
3 pm: How to relax without drinking alcohol
If you want to learn to relax alcohol-free then this is the discussion for you! our very own co-founder Dru Jaeger speaks to Ronnie Traynor, from The Sober Social, Nicola Price, the founder of Inspirational Breathing, mental health psychiatrist Dr. David McLaughlan, and Sarah Williamson from Bee Sober and Drink Less, Live Better.
4 pm: How to cut down as a wine drinker
Club Soda co-founders Dru Jaeger and Laura Willoughby round off the speakers’ events by encouraging you to explore the ways wine culture keeps you drinking, and get practical tips to regain control of your consumption. Laura loved wine and gave up drinking ten years ago. This inspired her to create Club Soda with co-founders Dru and Jussi Tolvi to help people on a self-guided journey to change their drinking habits.
Following on from the success of our masterclasses in our alcohol-free pop-up shop in London, we’re bringing a fantastic range of drinks masterclasses to the festival. The classes in this ultimate guide are free, but they are also ticketed events that are different from your free festival tickets, so please be sure to book in advance via the website links below.
Wine tasting masterclasses
11 am on Saturday 9 July with Christine Parkinson of Brimful Drinks. You will taste a range of drinks that pair with food – we call this the wine occasion! Christine is a wine expert and has her own consultancy, Brimful Drinks. Christine is currently a Zerologist for Zero Zilch Zip.
11 am on Sunday 10 July with Josh Kelly of Club Soda. Many of you will recognise Josh as he helped to set up and then managed Club Soda’s Pop-Up Alcohol-Free off-license in London’s West End. He has a broad knowledge of the AF sector in general and a passion for AF sparkling and reds which are such an exciting and rapidly developing sector in the market.
Beer tasting masterclasses
12:30 pm on Saturday 9 July with Robin from AF Beer Club. Robin Lomax is the founder of AF Beer Club – the UK’s first and leading alcohol-free beer subscription service. He hosts monthly Meet the Brewer sessions online as well as the annual AF Beer Festival and AF Beer Awards. Robin is a great guest to introduce you to the best AF beers on the market.
12:30 pm on Sunday 10 July with Emma Inch, Chair of the British Guild of Beer Writers. You will taste the different styles of beers from the brands at the festival. You will learn how they are made and about how the industry has rapidly progressed over the last few years. Your host will be the amazing Emma Inch.
Cocktail Making masterclasses
3:30 pm on Saturday 9 July and 2 pm on Sunday 10 July with Gemma Mills from alcohol-free subscription service Jomo Club. Gemma started to explore Alcool-Free spirits as part of her healthy lifestyle. Gemma wanted to make AF options more accessible and to provide a strong choice and experience for those looking for an alternative drink. The award-winning JOMO Club was born, and Gemma shares her favourite recipes and tips at the festival.
Introduction to alcohol-free drinks masterclasses
2 pm on Saturday 9 July with Amy Armstrong from Dry but Wet. Amy Armstrong’s mission is to create positive and inclusive drinking experiences and to normalise non-alcoholic drinking in Australia. She connects her Dry but Wet customers, with the best quality non-alcoholic drinks, and brings her knowledge of the AF market to this invaluable session.
3:30 pm on Sunday 10 July with Jane Peyton from School of Booze. Jane Peyton is an award-winning drinks educator, writer, broadcaster, pub expert, and public speaker. She is the founder of the School of Booze – a training, education, events company, and consultancy specializing in no & low alcohol drinks and their alcoholic drinks equivalents. You couldn’t be in better company!
If this ultimate guide full of delicious drinks and tempting talks has you as fired up as we are, then book your free ticket online today! Then head on down to the seaside where the weather promises to be gorgeous, and where the beautiful Brighton Open Markets will be packed full of the best that the low and no alcohol industry have to offer. See you there!
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