Public Drinking Could Be Allowed in Another City Not Named Las Vegas or New Orleans

Covington, Kentucky, located across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, is considering a new entertainment district that would allow drinkers to carry open alcoholic beverages in public during special events.

1 minute read

May 29, 2019, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Summer

This glass is half full. | Kevin McGovern / Shutterstock

"The City of Covington is poised to adopt a regulation that - during certain festivals and special events - would allow visitors to walk between establishments throughout parts of downtown with an open beer, cup of bourbon or other alcohol," according to an article published by The River City News.

"The ordinance, which goes before the Covington City Commission on Tuesday, May 28 for a second reading and vote, creates a zone called an "Entertainment Destination Center." It's similar to Fourth Street Live in Louisville and a newly created zone in Maysville called The Landing at Limestone."

Those aren't the only cities allowing open alcoholic containers in public. Public drinking has become a more popular economic development tool in cities in Ohio, Mississippi, Nebraska, Alabama, and Tennessee, according to an article picked up by Planetizen in 2016.

Monday, May 27, 2019 in The River City News

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

48 minutes ago - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

NYC Mayor Zohran Mandami speaks behind a blue podium.

Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals

The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.

45 minutes ago - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.