And we're Bringing Minnesota's Research-Backed Cannabis Beverages to St. Petersburg
Woman-founded Minnesota brand will join 75+ functional beverage companies at the July 11 event, pouring SHAKE, FRESH PRESS, and Blush Crush Infused Bubbly for thousands of curious sippers
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — 23rd State, the Minnesota-based cannabis beverage brand redefining the way Americans think about social drinking, will be on the floor at the High & Dry Festival on Saturday, July 11, 2026, joining more than 75 brands at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida for what organizers are calling Florida's premier functional beverage celebration.
The announcement marks one of 23rd State's most significant out-of-market activations to date, extending the brand's research-driven, alcohol-alternative messaging from its home base in the Twin Cities to the rapidly expanding Florida wellness market. From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., attendees will be able to sample 23rd State's full lineup — SHAKE, FRESH PRESS, and Blush Crush Infused Bubbly — alongside a curated roster of cannabis, kava, kanna, and adaptogenic mushroom brands gathering under one roof for unlimited tastings, hands-on education stations, and industry conversation.
Inside the High & Dry Festival
Now in its second year, the High & Dry Festival has quickly positioned itself as a category-defining event for the functional beverage movement — the rapidly growing segment of better-for-you drinks designed to replace or complement alcohol. Organized by Herban Flow and held at the historic Coliseum venue in downtown St. Petersburg, the festival brings together brands working across cannabis-infused elixirs, adaptogenic blends, ceremonial kava, kanna-based mood drinks, and functional mushroom beverages.
The format is deliberately experiential. Rather than a traditional trade show, High & Dry is built around unlimited sampling, four dedicated education stations covering cannabis, mushrooms, kanna, and kava, and direct face time with the founders, formulators, and thought leaders shaping the category. Whether attendees identify as sober-curious, California sober, wellness-focused, or simply curious about what comes next after alcohol, the event is structured as an invitation to taste the future of drinking.
Early Bird tickets remain available through May 31, with General Admission priced at $25 and VIP at $40. Both tiers include unlimited samples from participating brands.
Why 23rd State Is Heading South
For 23rd State, the trip from Minneapolis to St. Petersburg represents more than a regional brand expansion. It reflects a strategic alignment between two markets — Minnesota and Florida — that have emerged as unlikely twin epicenters of the hemp-derived beverage category. Both states have produced thriving consumer markets for low-dose, hemp-derived THC drinks well ahead of broader federal clarity, and both have seen the rise of a sophisticated consumer base looking for alternatives to alcohol that don't compromise on flavor, ritual, or social experience.
"This is exactly the kind of audience we built 23rd State for," said Content Director Kasey Kollross, who serves on the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) Board of Directors for the 2026–2028 term. "High & Dry attendees aren't being convinced that functional beverages have a place in their lives — they're already there. They're looking for the brands worth coming back to. We want to be one of those brands."
23rd State was founded by Leah Kollross with a clear thesis: the future of social drinking belongs to people who want to feel something — relaxed, present, connected — without the next-day cost of alcohol. The brand has steadily built a reputation in the Upper Midwest and beyond for craft-quality cannabis beverages developed with input from real consumers, real data, and a tight-knit Minnesota production footprint that emphasizes ingredient transparency.
What 23rd State Is Pouring at the Festival
Festival attendees stopping by the 23rd State table can expect to sample the brand's flagship product Fresh Press, engineered for a distinct moment in the social-drinking journey.
FRESH PRESS is the line's juice-forward cannabis beverage, formulated to deliver bright, real-fruit flavor alongside a fast-onset, low-dose hemp-derived THC experience. It has become the brand's most-requested product among consumers transitioning away from spritzes, cocktails, and seltzers, and was a featured product in the MoreBetter Real-World Infused Beverage Study — the largest independent consumer study to date in the infused beverage category.
SHAKE sits at the more spirited end of the lineup, offering a richer, more cocktail-adjacent profile. Designed to fill the place a craft cocktail or a glass of wine might occupy at a dinner party or a night out, SHAKE has built a following among consumers who want their alcohol-free drink to feel like an actual drink, not a compromise.
Blush Crush Infused Bubbly is the celebration product — a pink, effervescent, lightly sweet infused sparkling beverage developed for toasts, brunches, weddings, and the growing number of social occasions where guests are increasingly asking for non-alcoholic options that still feel festive. It has become a quiet favorite at MS Awareness Month events and other community gatherings the brand supports.
All three products are formulated to support what 23rd State refers to as "mindful sociability" — the idea that consumers shouldn't have to choose between being present and being part of the party.
A Movement Built on Real Data
What separates the conversation at events like High & Dry from the noise around cannabis beverages is the growing weight of real consumer research behind the category. 23rd State has been a vocal champion of that shift, citing the MoreBetter Real-World Infused Beverage Study — a multi-cohort, real-world consumer study involving more than 5,000 participants across 20 brands — as foundational evidence that infused beverages are functioning as a genuine alcohol-substitution category, not just a novelty.
The study, which 23rd State has cited extensively in its editorial and trade work over the past year, found measurable patterns in how consumers are integrating cannabis beverages into their routines: in place of evening wine, in social settings where they want to remain clear-headed, and as a tool for reducing overall alcohol intake without sacrificing the ritual of pouring a drink.
That research-forward orientation makes the High & Dry Festival a natural fit. The event's education stations are designed to give attendees actual context — not just marketing copy — for the ingredients in their glass. For 23rd State, that aligns with a broader content and advocacy push the brand has been leading at the national level, including ongoing work around the Section 781 cannabis seed reclassification provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act and a forthcoming co-hosted webinar with the Network of Applied Pharmacognosy (NAP) on cannabinoids as alcohol-substitution tools.
Education Stations and Industry Conversation
Beyond the tasting floor, High & Dry will host four dedicated education stations covering cannabis, mushrooms, kanna, and kava — each staffed by experts working at the leading edge of their respective ingredient categories. For consumers, the stations offer a rare chance to learn about lesser-known functional ingredients in a setting that isn't a dispensary, a wellness store, or a podcast. For brands like 23rd State, they create a shared educational baseline that elevates the entire category.
The festival is sponsored by AstroBliss Herbal Affinity, with Onward serving as Volunteer Experience Sponsor, and additional partners including Chaser Water and Last Rep. Herban Flow, the presenting organization, operates retail locations in both the Tyrone and downtown St. Petersburg areas of the city.
How to Attend — and How to Stay Connected With 23rd State
The High & Dry Festival takes place Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 2 to 5 p.m. at The Coliseum, located at 535 4th Avenue North in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tickets are available now through the official festival website, with Early Bird pricing in effect through May 31.
Florida-based consumers and visiting Minnesotans alike are encouraged to stop by the 23rd State table during the event. The team will be on hand for tastings, conversation, and a few surprises planned specifically for the Florida audience.
For Minnesota fans of the brand — or anyone tracking 23rd State's growing national footprint — full information on upcoming festival appearances, retailer pop-ups, sampling events, and community partnerships is available on the brand's official events page. The 2026 calendar continues to expand, with additional out-of-state activations expected to be announced in the months following High & Dry.
As the functional beverage category continues to push past early-adopter status and into mainstream consideration, events like High & Dry are where the next phase of the movement gets defined — in real conversation, with real products, in front of real consumers. For 23rd State, July 11 in St. Petersburg is one more chapter in a longer story about what social drinking can look like when flavor, function, and intention all show up in the same glass.
Follow 23rd State on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at 23state.com for the latest on the brand's 2026 events calendar, new product releases, and ongoing work in cannabis beverage advocacy.
