4 Things To Know About Santa Monica's Loosened Public Drinking Rules

SANTA MONICA, CA — Cheers! It will soon be legal to walk around parts of Downtown Santa Monica with a cocktail in hand.

The Santa Monica City Council on Wednesday approved what's known as an Entertainment Zone for the 3rd Street Promenade between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway. In that zone, located in the heart of the city's pedestrianized commercial corridor, visitors will be able to purchase alcoholic beverages at certain bars and restaurants and consume them anywhere within the zone.

Here are four things to know:

It's the first of its kind in SoCal

Entertainment Zones are allowed under SB 969, which went into effect this year. The law allows local governments to create designed outdoor areas where open container prohibitions are lifted for beverages purchased from participating restaurants and bars.

Four such zones have been created in San Francisco, most recently in the Castro District.

It's launching in phases

The program will begin with a "soft rollout" in early June, with initial hours of Friday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The official launch is set for June 21, during the annual Pride on the Promenade celebration.

If all goes well, city officials hope to expand the program to 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.

Special cups and wristbands are required

It won't be a free-for-all. Participating businesses (which need to sign an agreement with the city to participate) will need to check IDs as they normally do and provide customers with a city-approved wristband. Revelers will need to wear those wristbands while consuming alcohol outside.

The only alcohol that can be consumed in the zone is that served by participating establishments and served in to-go cups (which can't be made from metal or glass).

Drink up!

After you get your drink from a certain bar, you're allowed to take it outside onto the promenade. From there, you'll be able to window shop and enjoy any activities happening out on the street. But before you go inside another business, you'll be required to finish your drink.

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