The GRAMMY-winning country artist built a bar for people who stopped drinking. Now she’s bringing it to Atlantic Canada’s biggest country music festival. July can’t come fast enough.
If you’ve been following the sober lifestyle space for more than five minutes, you already know that music festivals have historically been… not our scene. The options are limited. The vibes are louder than the lineup. And if you ask for something non-alcoholic, you get a flat ginger ale in a plastic cup and a look that says, why are you even here?
Well. Things are changing.
This July 9-11, Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Prince Edward Island is doing something that no Canadian festival has done before: hosting the first-ever Canadian pop-up of Redemption Bar, the NA-forward concept created by GRAMMY-winning country artist Ashley McBryde.
Who is Ashley McBryde and Why Does This Matter
If Ashley McBryde isn’t already in your rotation, the short version is this: Arkansas-born, GRAMMY-nominated, the kind of songwriter who writes lines that make you pull over the car. She went from sticky-floored bars in Memphis to the Grand Ole Opry’s first-ever international show at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
And then she got sober. And then she built a bar.
(That’s the part we care about.)
She’s been sober for nearly four years, and when she talks about why she built Redemption Bar, she is not vague about it: “As someone who is three years sober, the typical response to ‘do you have anything non-alcoholic?’ is either ‘why did you come to a bar if you aren’t gonna drink?’ or ‘you can have soda water and a lime I guess.’ Some of my favorite places to socialize became wildly unaccommodating when the only thing that changed was what was in my cup.” — Rolling Stone
That quote? That’s every sober person who has ever stood at a bar feeling like an outsider in their own social life.
Redemption Bar lives on the fifth floor of Eric Church’s flagship venue, Chief’s, on Lower Broadway in Nashville. It’s built around authenticity, connection, and original songwriting, with an intimate stage designed for working singer-songwriters. The drink menu features 18 carefully crafted zero-proof cocktails, with names like Flickerin’ Flames of Hell, Martini McBryde, Gospel Night, and The Devil I Know.
It’s not a compromise. It’s a full creative vision. And now it’s crossing the border.
What’s Happening at CBMF
The Redemption Bar pop-up at Cavendish Beach Music Festival brings the same NA-forward philosophy to PEI: zero-proof cocktails, live music, community, and a full festival experience where alcohol is not the point.
CBMF draws tens of thousands of country music fans to the shores of Prince Edward Island every summer. This year’s headliners include HARDY, Tucker Wetmore, and Cody Johnson. It is not a small festival. It is not a niche audience. Which is exactly why a dedicated sober space inside it means something. Festival organizers didn’t add this because they had to. They added it because they’re paying attention.
A portion of proceeds from every Redemption Bar sale will go to the Light On Fund, Ashley’s chosen charitable initiative. Your NA cocktail does double duty.
Why This Belongs on Your Radar
For anyone who has ever loved live music and dreaded the drinking culture surrounding it, this is genuinely exciting news. Not because sober people can’t handle being around alcohol at a festival. Most of us figured that out years ago. But because having a dedicated space signals something important: you belong here, exactly as you are.
On the opening night of Redemption’s Nashville location, a man walked up to McBryde and told her: “When I decided to quit drinking, I lost my ability to make new friends. I lost the ability to network because there wasn’t a place for it, and tonight it feels like I get that back.” — Garden & Gun
That’s the whole point. That’s what Redemption Bar is actually selling. Not mocktails. Access. Belonging. The part of social life that sobriety can quietly shrink if you let it.
A Canadian festival pop-up means that experience now travels. It means festival organizers are paying attention. It means the sober and sober-curious community is not a niche anymore. We are not a side note. We are not a flat ginger ale in a plastic cup. We are very much showing up.
McBryde put it simply: “It’s been an honour to see how Redemption has encouraged people to show up and share their stories and I can’t wait to bring it to Canada for the first time.”
Same, Ashley. Same.
The Giveaway
The Sober Curator is partnering with Cavendish Beach Music Festival to give away a pair of weekend passes. Head on over to our YouTube Channel, subscribe, and comment on The Sober Curator podcast Season Two Episode 1 or Episode 2 videos that just dropped, and be entered to win. The winner’s name will be pulled at 9 am PT on Monday, July 6th, 2026. “This giveaway is not sponsored or administered by YouTube.”
Logistics
Cavendish Beach Music Festival runs July 9-11, 2026 in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Ashley McBryde performs on the main stage Saturday, July 11. Limited tickets remain at cavendishbeachmusic.com.
Redemption Bar’s home base is at Chief’s on Lower Broadway in Nashville. Learn more at redemptiononbroadway.com.
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What is Redemption Bar?
Redemption Bar is the non-alcoholic-forward bar and live music concept created by GRAMMY-winning country artist Ashley McBryde. It lives on the fifth floor of Eric Church’s Chief’s on Lower Broadway in Nashville, and features a full menu of zero-proof cocktails, an intimate stage for working singer-songwriters, and a space where not drinking is the forethought, not the exception.
Where did the idea come from?
Ashley McBryde has been sober for nearly four years. She created Redemption Bar because her favorite social spaces became unwelcoming the moment she stopped drinking. She wanted a place where everyone is welcome and where not drinking is treated as completely normal, not a reason to explain yourself.
What is happening at Cavendish Beach Music Festival?
CBMF is hosting the first-ever Canadian pop-up of Redemption Bar during the festival weekend of July 9-11, 2026, in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. The pop-up will feature East Coast non-alcoholic offerings, live music, and the full Redemption Bar experience in a festival setting.
Where is Cavendish Beach Music Festival held?
The festival takes place at the Cavendish Beach Events Centre in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is Atlantic Canada’s largest outdoor country music festival and draws tens of thousands of attendees each July.
Who are the headliners at CBMF 2026?
This year’s headliners are HARDY, Tucker Wetmore, and Cody Johnson, with more artists across the full three-day lineup.
Do I have to be sober to visit the Redemption Bar pop-up?
Not at all. Redemption Bar is designed to be inclusive. The space centers non-alcoholic options, but everyone is welcome regardless of where they are in their relationship with alcohol.
Will there be a charitable component?
Yes. A portion of proceeds from every sale at the Redemption Bar pop-up will benefit the Light On Fund, Ashley McBryde’s chosen charitable initiative through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
Is The Sober Curator doing a giveaway?
Yes. We are partnering with Cavendish Beach Music Festival to give away a pair of weekend passes. Follow us on social media for details on how to enter.
Where can I get tickets to CBMF?
Tickets and full festival information are available at cavendishbeachmusic.com.
Where can I learn more about Redemption Bar?
Visit the Nashville location or learn more at redemptiononbroadway.com.
