The Abridged version:
- The cities of Auburn, Woodland and Sacramento have made way for new zones that allow people to walk around with takeout drinks from nearby bars.
- The city of Sacramento had its first event with 4,000 people this year and is looking to bring more events in 2026.
- Smaller towns like Loomis are also exploring adding entertainment zones to their downtown areas.
The streets are closed off to traffic, the music is bumping and patrons are meandering from bar to bar with drinks still in their hands.
It’s getting easier to walk around with an open container in the Sacramento region — at sanctioned events, at least.
At least four cities in the region have adopted or are considering adopting special “entertainment zones” near their downtowns. The zones are part of a law that went into effect at the beginning of 2025, Senate Bill 969. The law allows cities and counties to block off areas where people can consume alcoholic beverages “to-go” during special events like concerts, conventions or block parties.
City-approved takeout cups in Auburn
In Old Town Auburn, it’s not uncommon to see people wander from the beer garden and into local shops with their entertainment zone-approved plastic cups in hand.
The city approved two entertainment zones this fall, covering a portion of Old Town Auburn and its downtown corridor along Lincoln Way. Since late November, the zones have been active every weekend from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
So far it’s been a “fairly quiet rollout,” according to Jonathan Wright, community and economic development director with the city of Auburn.
“Our idea isn’t to be Bourbon Street or any of those,” Wright said. “It’s just to provide a different feeling when people are walking around Auburn.”
All of Auburn’s to-go drinks come in city-approved cups that are color coded red and neon green to denote which zone a bar patron purchased them in. The participating bars and breweries have noted sales of a couple dozen to-go cups each weekend, according to Wright.
Sacramento looks to add more zones
The city of Sacramento started small, initially approving three areas where entertainment zone events could pop up.
The city’s first event was the Sacramento Rainbow Festival, which brought 4,000 people for a full weekend of DJs, booths and performances to the blocks around Lavender Heights at 20th and K streets. Attendees were able to freely wander between nearby bars and the event dance floors.
A month later, Terra Madre Americas also used an entertainment permit, filling the area around the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center with upwards of 150,000 people.
After seeing the success of those two events, city leaders added two more zones, including Midtown’s Handle District near L and 18th streets and the Ice Blocks development at R and 17th streets.
“The way we’re designing our zones is for it to be a way to enhance our special events,” said Tina Lee-Vogt, the city’s nighttime economy manager.
The city is also considering adding a new zone near Der Biergarten at K and 24th streets, as well as some zones outside of the city’s core along Del Paso Boulevard or in Oak Park, Lee-Vogt said.
So far, no event planners have requested any new entertainment permits for 2026, but Lee-Vogt said she expects the number to go up as spring and summer approach.
Zones underway in smaller cities
Woodland hasn’t had any official entertainment zone events yet since the city approved them in September. The city is still in the “administrative phase” of seeing what kind of events would be a good fit, said Amanda Portier, marketing and business relations specialist with the city of Woodland.
“Generally, it’s been received pretty well with our business community,” Portier said. “I think it’s a really neat initiative to support downtowns in a variety of communities.”
Loomis is also exploring adding an entertainment zone. Since October, town leaders have been convening an ad-hoc committee to research how the zone would work. The proposed map includes the area near 3565 to 3790 Taylor Road in Loomis.
Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.