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How the brand’s 200th anniversary and 40th US Open sponsorship converged
It’s just milestones on milestones for Evian this year. 2026 marks two centuries since the brand began sourcing its spring water from the French Alps, and 40 years since becoming the Official Water of the US Open. And that kind of timing calls for a mountain of celebrations.
So after launching its “200 Years Young” global campaign earlier this year, Evian continued the revelry in NYC during the Open—the brand’s most significant annual partnership—with an off-site anniversary event on Aug. 27, as well as specialty bottles available across the tournament grounds, and a robust online sweepstakes that tied everything together.
“Two hundred years is a once-in-a-generation celebration,” says Fran Mulhern, svp at Evian. “For us, it’s a chance to step back and celebrate our longstanding heritage… but connecting it to what’s very relevant today, which is wellness, sports and culture.”
An Alluring Anniversary Pop-up
Evian’s US Open sponsorship presence is typically kept within the bounds of the stadium, but its 200th anniversary required a celebration that matched the moment’s magnitude. So the brand took over the iconic Dumbo Archway in Brooklyn for an evening, just ahead of the Singles Main Draw, and invited consumers to reserve a spot at the soiree (Emily Reid Agency handled).
More than just a birthday blow-out, the alpine-themed pop-up was designed to be as educational as it was celebratory, with Evian’s heritage and origin story at the heart of the experience. (Long story, short: Evian’s water was, and is, sourced in the French Alps in Évian-les-Bains, and naturally filtered for 15-plus years through glacial rocks.)
The footprint was illuminated in Evian’s signature pink hue, including the space leading into the Archway, which featured a whimsical street sign and mountain-inspired décor, like icy, mirrored installations displaying anniversary messaging.
Inside the main footprint, attendees were enveloped in intricate, overhead projection-mapping sequences, including one that explained the history of how Evian sources its water. Meanwhile, French-themed cuisine, including macarons served on tennis racquets, was up for grabs, as were drinks from the open bar. Pizza slices added some US Open and New York City flair. And a live dj kept the energy flowing.
Another highlight: a pink post card station, where fans could choose a nostalgic Evian design, fill out the post card, and drop it into a pink mail box to be sent anywhere around the world on the brand’s dime.
“In this moment, it was really critical that they experience and understand that Evian comes from a place, and to be able to feel what that place is, and then learn more through the interactive nature of [the event], like what the ‘15-year journey’ is,” Mulhern says. “We can only create that in a live experience. And it’s something that consumers will take with them beyond just that night or just that one touchpoint with the brand.”
Celebrity Partnerships & Packaging
To visually commemorate 200 years, Evian collaborated with renowned artist and global ambassador Jeff Koons on limited-edition glass bottle designs bearing his iconic “Balloon Dog.”
The products are available for purchase at Evian water carts across the US Open, and were prominently featured at the anniversary pop-up, where Koons made an appearance along with other key ambassadors, including 2026 tournament competitors Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz.
A Sweeping Sweepstakes
In an effort to deliver new kinds of consumer experiences Evian unveiled an online sweepstakes in early August that helped extend both of its milestone celebrations. And the grand prize was one for the books.
The winner and a guest not only attended the pop-up in Brooklyn, but were gifted courtside tickets to the Open, and—the pièce de resistance—a trip from NYC to France for a complimentary stay at the famous Hôtel Royal in Évian-les-Bains.
Says Mulhern: “It ties everything together that we’re trying to do, between celebrating the major milestone of 200 years, taking them to our biggest partnership and sponsorship, and experiencing it in a vibrant city like New York, and then being able to go right to where this all started 200 years ago.”
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