From gas station icon to Gen Z crowd-pleaser, 7-Eleven is entering the live music chat — Slurpees in hand.
The convenience giant just signed on with Live Nation to bring its brand straight to the main stage, becoming the first-ever naming rights sponsor of a major music festival: When We Were Young, presented by 7-Eleven, debuting this fall in Las Vegas. But that’s just the headliner — the chain is rolling out multi-city activations this summer that merge nostalgic throwbacks, street-culture aesthetics, and the Gen Z festival experience.
Yes, there will be Slurpees. Lots of them.
Slurpee Street Comes to Gov Ball and Rolling Loud
Starting this June, 7-Eleven will activate at Governors Ball in New York City with a pop-up called Slurpee Street — a fully built-out, summer-block-party-style experience designed to capture the city’s neighborhood energy and Gen Z’s social media sensibilities.
Think:
- Free Slurpee samples
- An NYC-style stoop for lounging
- Bold urban lighting
- Custom city-inspired street art
- And yes, photo ops everywhere you turn
It’s an experience designed for sharing — built with TikTok in mind, but smart enough to keep foot traffic flowing.
Looking ahead to Rolling Loud in 2026, 7-Eleven plans to bring a similar Slurpee Street setup, this time with a graffiti-meets-hype-art aesthetic that speaks directly to the hip-hop crowd and the festival’s streetwear-fueled fanbase.
Fueling the Emo Revival at When We Were Young
Then comes October, and 7-Eleven is going full scene-kid. The brand will take center stage as the official presenting sponsor of When We Were Young, turning the Las Vegas festival grounds into a love letter to the early 2000s.
Inside the 7-Eleven Hangout, attendees will find:
- Throwback décor straight from the aughts (hello flip phones, studded belts, and Myspace vibes)
- A refuel station for icy Slurpee drinks
- Emo-inspired brand integrations that celebrate both nostalgia and the now
The goal? Capture the magic of an era — and give fans a place to cool off, chill out, and recharge between sets. For 7-Eleven, it’s not just a branding play — it’s a cultural reintroduction, delivered through immersive environments and free refreshments.
Why This Matters for Brands Watching the Space
7-Eleven’s festival push isn’t just about visibility — it’s about relevance. This isn’t their first move in experiential, but it may be their boldest yet. By showing up in unexpected, culturally tuned-in ways, the brand is building real-world equity with a next-gen audience who probably wasn’t around for the original Slurpee boom.
The activations are also a clear case study in how nontraditional sponsors can thrive in music spaces, especially when the creative is rooted in nostalgia, local flair, and interactive design.
The Takeaway
Whether you’re sipping Slurpees on a NYC stoop at Gov Ball or reliving your emo phase in Vegas this fall, 7-Eleven’s presence at music festivals is hard to miss — and that’s the point. The brand is bridging convenience with culture, one ice-cold refill at a time.
Stay tuned. Festival season just got sweeter.
For more on brand activations that blend strategy, creativity, and cultural timing, explore Translucent’s Event Trends & Reports hub.