Raleigh to expand areas where people can openly drink alcohol on downtown streets
Raleigh is officially expanding where and when people can drink alcoholic beverages while strolling downtown streets.
The changes are set to take effect on Aug. 15, which is the one-year anniversary of the city implementing its social district.
The expansion of Raleigh’s Sip n’ Stroll program will add more of the Warehouse District and extend over to Wye Hill on the edge of Boylan Heights. The expansion adds about 12 blocks north and west of Nash Square, including Raleigh Union Station.
The city will also extend the hours people can walk around with a drink in hand – starting an hour earlier each day at 10 a.m. It will go on seven days per week through 10 p.m.
On Tuesday, the Raleigh City Council unanimously approved the proposed changes.
In the social district, people can walk with plastic cups marked with stickers, primarily along Fayetteville Street and a handful of other streets. Signs posted at select business tell people if they can buy social district drinks there or bring them inside from other participating businesses.
Any business within the social district can choose to opt out of the city’s Sip n’ Stroll program.
The city has said there have been no known issues with crime, noise or disturbances since the social district started. WRAL DataTrackers checked that claim and found that crime reports in and around the district are actually down slightly compared to the same period before the pandemic:
- 980 incidents in and around the social district from Aug. 15, 2022 to today
- 1,060 incidents in and around the social district from Aug. 15, 2018 to June 20, 2019
Several other North Carolina municipalities have launched their own social districts, including the December 2022 launch of “The Bullpen” in Durham.
