LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It's finally here. Thirty days after the Little Rock City Board passed an ordinance, the River Market is now an Entertainment District.
At 5 p.m. on Friday, August 23, a lot changed on the stretch of Clinton Avenue where people are now allowed to walk around with alcohol to and from restaurants, bars, and stores.
All you need is $1 to buy a cup and wristband at one of the participating businesses and then the fun begins. Just make sure to stay within the boundaries.
Amy Counce, Nexus Coffee Owner, said all the businesses in downtown have been waiting for this day.
"A lot of the business owners, including myself and our team, we are excited for it," she said.
Daniel Bryant, Gus's Fried Chicken and Ernie Biggs owner said it's a River Market makeover.
"I think that it puts us on par with other mid and major cities our size," he said.
This now allows drinking in the streets from blocks of President Clinton Avenue to Ottenheimer and St. Vincent Plaza, plus all of the River Market pavilions.
"You can do everything you could do before, but now if you're so inclined, you can take a Mimosa or a Bloody Mary to the farmer's market, or a glass of wine on second Friday Artwalk," Bryant said.
Once you have your River Market Entertainment District cup and a wristband, it's pretty simple from there. You can go to one of the businesses taking part, like Gus's, get yourself a drink, and walk around the district in-between the boundaries and enjoy.
If you want to walk across the street to other businesses taking part, you must either pour out your drink or finish it before you walk in.
The Russell family came here from Austin, Texas for the Chris Stapleton concert.
"I was just excited to hear that it was going to be taking place," Frank Russell said.
He said their hometown doesn't have attractions like this, so for them, the decision to enjoy a drink on the streets before they hear 'Tennessee Whiskey' live, was a no-brainer.
"It glorifies the concert and definitely makes it more fun and gets you into the spirit of things," Russell said.
Counce said businesses on the stretch have spent all week preparing for an active and buzzing crowd.
"Oh yeah, we've been prepping big time. Last night, we had a big team meeting and we let our team talk about what they are looking forward to and how they want to be a part of this," she said.
Counce and other business owners said this is just the beginning.
"This is just one of the many things we are going to do for our downtown district. The entertainment district is one of the many plans that we have to bring life back into downtown," she said.
The party on the streets will be from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.