LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Several cities across Arkansas are ready to allow on-street drinking on a regular basis in special entertainment districts. Lawmakers passed Act 812 of 2019 that permits customers to take alcohol from bars to nearby restaurants or clubs within the district. Now cities like Little Rock are preparing to pass local ordinances to take advantage of the new law.
"I'm excited by the ability for Little Rock to compete with the other cities around for tourism," said Daniel Bryant, the owner of three bars in the proposed River Market district.
"We're trying to get people that can come outside, take a glass of wine with them, go down to the gallery, be able to eat a burger, have some lunch with a beer on the sidewalk like a cafe."
Bryant helped craft the proposal with representatives of mayor Frank Scott Jr. It turns a three-block area near the River Market pavilion into a party zone every weekend.
Booze in specially branded cups can go on the street Fridays from 5 p.m.-midnight, Saturdays from 8 a.m.-midnight and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition, the district will be open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, the Fourth of July and Christmas Eve.
The idea of having an outdoor drinking area is already allowed in some places on a temporary basis.
"We've had entertainment districts here on the books really since the late nineties," said Lance Spicer, the deputy city manager for Hot Springs, where a district was established for the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade. "We have three areas that people can apply to have events there."
The Spa City has seen a rejuvenation along Bathhouse Row and Central Ave. With places like El Dorado placing a district in its new Murphy Oil Arts District and Mountain Home creating a space in Baxter Co., Hot Springs are eyeing how they do before committing to a permanent walk-around drinking area.
"The downtown business district along Central Avenue it does have and lend itself well to this new entertainment district law," Spicer said. "Of course we would want to look at it a little bit more in-depth."
Bryant is downplaying the idea of bringing New Orleans' Bourbon Street or Memphis' Beale Street here. He also says other cities in the state shouldn't worry either.
"This is supposed to be complementary to all that," he said. "It's not supposed to overtake it and be all that's going on down here. I think that would be the primary difference."