Pedestrian Group, home to the strongest brands creating culture for young Aussies, and leading drinks retailer BWS are reuniting to bring Melburnians Oksoberfest. The one-day sober event removes the stigma that non-drinking is non-social, uniting the local community and homegrown beverage partners in one inclusive space. 

The free event will take place at the Brunswick Foodstore in Melbourne/Naarm, on Saturday October 28 from 11am til 5pm.

Punters are invited to get around market stalls from ten local creators and businesses including the likes of illustrators, vintage clothing resale, sustainable fashion and jewellery, live music from local DJs Crissy and DJ Kavi, workshops, street eats from Dingo Ate My Taco and Sliders On Tyres, and more low/no-alcohol drinks than you can shake as swizzle- stick at from Heaps Normal, Lyres and Nocktail.

Spyros Asteriou, Head of NSW Agency Partnerships at Pedestrian Group said, “It’s not often you see brands as fearless as BWS. In this dream partnership they’ve come to us to hit refresh on drink choices. Playing into spaces that you’d never expect a bottle shop to own – a one day sober festival – we’re making room for your drink preference, alcoholic or not.”

Josie Brown, General Manager of Marketing at BWS says, “We’re really excited to continue our partnership with Pedestrian. As the cheeky younger cousin to more serious bottle shops, Oksoberfest is a great way to bring to life the Refreshingly BWS take on the world of drinks. The low and no-alcohol category continues to gain traction with Aussie customers and we’re thrilled to showcase alternative drinks preferences and moderation options.”

Oksoberfest is the start of a summer long partnership between Pedestrian Group, BWS and agency partners Dentsu, Carat and M&C Saatchi, for the drinks giant’s Refreshingly BWS brand platform, which seeks to drive the overarching messaging that all people and tastes are welcome at BWS.

“We want to celebrate Aussies who unapologetically do drinks their way. So whether you fancy ice in your wine, enjoy seltzers at dinner parties or love a no-alc beer in your trackies on a Saturday night, BWS is absolutely here for it,”  says Josie Brown, General Manager of Marketing at BWS.

The summer partnership and Oksoberfest comes off the back of a successful and widely acclaimed Pride campaign, The BWYASSS House of Pride, which was an inclusive Pride Month event that was curated by the community for the community.

About Pedestrian Group: Pedestrian Group is home to PEDESTRIAN.TV, The Chainsaw, VICE Australia, Refinery29 Australia, Lifehacker Australia, Gizmodo Australia, and Kotaku Australia, as well as the Openair Cinemas. It is wholly owned by Nine, Australia’s largest media company.

About BWS: Beer, Wine and Spirits (BWS) is an Australian retail chain of liquor stores owned by Endeavour Group. Endeavour Group Ltd (EG) is an Australian alcoholic drinks retailer, hotel operator, and poker machine operator.

For further information, please contact:
Caitlin Lynch
Senior Communications Manager, Nine
clynch@nine.com.au 

Thursday, October 12, 2023