REDDING, Calif. — Downtown Redding is now home to the largest entertainment zone in California, allowing people to sip on some alcohol while exploring downtown.
From Pourboys Tap Yard to Woody’s, customers can now take their drinks to go year-round. There are 18 participating businesses in the zone, each with signs plastered on them explaining how the zone works.
Downtown Redding is now home to the largest entertainment zone in California, allowing people to sip on some alcohol while exploring downtown.
Critics have been worried the new rules will promote drinking, but Blake Fisher, who works with Viva Downtown, one of the organizations pushing this change, said it’s about more than drinking, but promoting local business as well. Fisher reassures they are working with local law enforcement to make sure it runs smoothly and adhering to existing regulations, “[Alcoholic Beverage Control] restrictions still apply, you know these bars are all ABC verified”.
The entertainment zone is made possible by legislation passed in 2024, Senate Bill 169, aimed at increasing foot traffic by allowing municipalities to designate areas where businesses can sell alcoholic beverages on public streets. That idea is exactly what Fisher and other community leaders wanted to bring into Redding, he said. This zone allows the city to catch up to the rest of the country.
“People are able to explore our downtown and hit all 18 locations, as opposed to being rigid and stuck in the walls beyond the businesses,” he said.
“One of the biggest things is The Park said their sales were up 120% from last year’s Christmas tree lighting,” said Fisher. “We saw this succeed for multiple events in Downtown Redding with the Christmas tree lighting, the 2030 club, lighted Christmas parade and our Santa Pub Crawl.”
The owner of the Post Office Saloon and Grill, Hallie Hawkins, said this has drawn in a new crowd over the last few weeks, “I feel like it makes people want to come out and see what the entertainment zone is all about, and so getting more young people downtown as well bringing that crowd with their families.”
The rules are simple: customers must verify they are 21 or older with a participating business, which will then give them a free wristband and serve them a drink in a marked cup. Customers are then free to roam the area with their drink from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, the drink must stay outside and is not allowed to go into other businesses or out of the entertainment zone.
Downtown Redding is now home to the largest entertainment zone in California, allowing people to sip on some alcohol while exploring downtown.
So far, Fisher said it has been a success, but the topic of the zone will go back to the city council in 6 months, where they will reassess how it is going and what can be improved.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source krcrtv.com ’
