Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Proposed ban on alcohol-carrying containers in Fremont Street Experience called too vague

Fremont Street NYE

Leila Navidi

Tony Junicho of Las Vegas shows off his beer hat during New Year’s TributePalooza at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas Friday, December 31, 2010.

A decision on proposal to ban bottles and cans of alcohol in the Fremont Street Experience won’t be made for at least two more weeks.

The city’s Recommending Committee, established to make suggestions to the full Las Vegas City Council on bills, said a language in a bill currently under consideration was too vague.

A key concern was that the bill banned all containers of alcohol – presumably even those unopened and being carried from a package liquor store to some place beyond the Fremont Street Experience, the canopy-covered outdoor attraction that encompasses the first five blocks of Fremont Street, from Main Street to Las Vegas Boulevard.

Banning all containers would have meant if someone bought a six-pack from one of six stores currently selling package liquor in the experience, he or she could be ticketed for carrying an unopened six-pack.

The Recommending Committee voted to reconsider the amended ordinance at its June 16 meeting.

The recommended restrictions are part of a series of ordinance changes being considered to rein in some of the mayhem that Metro Police say has grown significantly in the past year. Last June, a fight at the downtown attraction culminated in two people being wounded by gunfire. The popularity of downtown as a bar-hopping hub has grown, too, with the growth in the number of bars in the nearby Fremont East Entertainment District.

Two weeks ago, the city decreed no more package liquor stores can open in the experience, unless they are part of a grocery or pharmacy attached to a 200-room hotel property.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy