Little Rock officials have approved a new entertainment district for downtown Little Rock.
On Tuesday, July 23, the Little Rock City Council voted to approve an ordinance creating a four-block entertainment district. The new River Market Entertainment District will encompass “all public places lying within (1) Block 1 of Pope’s Addition in the City of Little Rock and (2) 30 feet of each side of the centerline of the following blocks of the following streets in the City of Little Rock: 300-600 blocks of President Clinton Avenue, 100 block of North Rock Street and 100 block of St. Vincent Plaza, also known as the 100 block of North Commerce Street,” according to the ordinance
However, the ordinance will not go into effect for 30 days. The council did not elect to approve an emergency clause that would have put the ordinance into immediate effect.
This ordinance will allow individuals to consume alcohol within the boundaries of the district on certain days and times. The ordinance limits open carry and public consumption to
Fridays from 5 p.m. to midnight, on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to midnight and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition, open alcoholic beverage containers will be allowed on December 31 from 8 a.m. to January 1 at 2 a.m., on January 1 from 8 a.m. to midnight, on February 14 from 8 a.m. to midnight, on March 17 from 8 a.m. to midnight, on July 4 from 8 a.m. to midnight and on December 24 from 8 a.m. to midnight.
Little Rock is now the third city in Arkansas to create an entertainment district this year. El Dorado and Mountain Home previously created districts; Mountain Home was the first city in the state to create its district.
The rise of entertainment districts was enabled by the state legislature, which passed Act 812 earlier in 2019.
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