Matt Malone (L) and Adam Ingle (R), Alliance Brewing Co., 1130 Sevier Ave., photo courtesy of Alliance
Actual footage of Adam and Matt pulling the Festivus pole out of storage today.
Festivus, the Seinfeld-sanctioned holiday “for the rest of us,” returns to Alliance Brewing Company this Saturday, Dec. 20, bringing with it a full day of nonsense, catharsis and deeply unserious competition.
2025 marks Festivus’ ninth year at the 10-year-old Sevier Avenue brewery. (Happy decade-iversary, Alliance! Alan profiled them when they first opened here.) Festivus has grown into one of Alliance’s most anticipated events, its second biggest day of the year behind SoKno Pride in June.
Alliance Brewing Co., 1130 Sevier Ave., photo courtesy of Alliance
Yesterday, I shared a pint with brewery co-founder and co-owner Adam Ingle and longtime taproom and events coordinator Matt Malone to learn how it all got started.
Alliance has always leaned into holiday spirit. There is a special place in heaven for bars that stay open on Christmas, and Alliance is among them.
“We’ve always tried to be a place where people could come hang out when other places were closed,” Adam said.
Nine Christmases ago a friend presented the brewery with a proper aluminum Festivus pole chosen, Adam noted approvingly, for its “very high strength-to-weight ratio.”
“Once the pole showed up,” Adam said, “it was like, ‘Well… I guess we’re doing Festivus.’”
From there, the question became: what is a Festivus at a brewery?
Airing of Grievances
“At the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year.” – Frank Costanza
Alliance’s spin is setting out a grievance box (lovingly decorated with googly eyes and glitter) to collect submissions throughout December and on Festivus Day itself. Before anything is read aloud, the staff does a quick editorial pass. Grievances must be public-appropriate, but inside jokes, gentle roasting of staff and calling out regulars are all fair game.
Come evening, someone grabs a mic or climbs onto the bar, and the anonymous grievances are aired – sometimes in multiple rounds, depending on how wronged people are feeling.
“It’s all in good fun,” Adam said. “A lot of it is making fun of people who work here, or people who are always here.”
“Grievance Box” with coloring sheet for the kids craft corner, Alliance Brewing Co., 1130 Sevier Ave., December 2025
Airing of Grievances, Alliance Brewing Co., 1130 Sevier Ave., photo courtesy of Alliance
Feats of Strength
One early rule: no actual wrestling.
Instead, Adam devised what has become a crowd favorite: the keg hold.
Unlike the stein lifts you might see at Oktoberfest, Alliance’s version is intentionally unforgiving. Participants press their heels against the wall, keep their shoulder blades touching the entire time, and hold a keg at a strict 90-degree angle. Drop below and you’re out.
“Most people last a minute or maybe two,” Adam said. “Three minutes is about the longest we’ve ever seen. It’s quick, it’s brutal, and a lot of people can cycle through.”
Some competitors, he added, have begun actually training for the event.
Feats of Strength, Alliance Brewing Co., 1130 Sevier Ave., photo courtesy of Alliance
Feats of Strength, Alliance Brewing Co., 1130 Sevier Ave., photo courtesy of Alliance
The Full Festivus Lineup
Alliance Brewing Co., 1130 Sevier Ave., photo courtesy of Alliance
- Noon: Build-your-own Michelada bar + one-off beer release
- 12–4 p.m.: Kids’ Craft Corner
- 3 p.m.: Second special beer release
- 6 p.m.: Seltzer bar + Seinfeld episode screenings
- 7 p.m.: Elaine Dance-Off
- 8 p.m.: Feats of Strength
- 9 p.m.: Airing of Grievances
- 9:30 p.m. to close: Silent disco
Inaugural IOK Airing of Grievances
No special occasion is required to air grievances (see also: the internet), but Festivus encourages a little extra flair. Consider this your official invitation to let it rip in the comments on this post.
I mean — and I really can’t believe I’m saying this — don’t hold back, people. Create a burner account. Do what you need to do. Say what you need to get off your chest. Use as many exclamation points and ALL-CAPS / unhinged hALf-CaPs as necessary to feel spiritually lighter. Anything goes, with one exception: no personal attacks.
Let’s get it all out now so we can enter 2026 with a freshly scrubbed emotional slate… ready for brand-new irritations.
Because remember: communities that complain together, care together.
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