You'll soon be able to stroll 3rd Street Promenade this summer with a cocktail in your hand
If you haven't been to the Third Street Promenade lately, we don't blame you. Santa Monica's outdoor shopping district has struggled in recent years to attract locals amid empty storefronts and increased public safety concerns due to the sizable increase in the area's homeless population. While the area still sees heavy tourist traffic in the summer and on the weekends, even newer restaurant openings like an oceanfront Din Tai Fung have largely failed to lure back the Promenade's pre-pandemic crowds.
Now, Santa Monica will be turning the entire three-block area into an open container zone sometime in June—which means you'll be able to walk and drink freely along the Promenade from approved to-go containers between 8am and 2am. ABC 7 Los Angeles reports that the zone's borders will be between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway. Last night, the city council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance in a likely bid to change the fate of the struggling commercial district.
The move seems to dovetails perfectly with the newest occupants of the Promenade, which has seen the departure of major retailers. These days, area landlords are experimenting with ' experiential retail,' according to the Los Angeles Times, which includes pickleball and boozy art classes. Last fall, the area saw the opening of Holey Moley, a mini golf club that sells booze and offers Instagrammable courses. Apparently, per the Times, people are also live-selling on TikTok on the Promenade.
The new 'Outdoor Entertainment Zone' wasn't created without guard rails, however. Businesses offering to-go alcoholic drinks must check IDs and provide customers with official wristbands, which they need to wear while they drink and walk around outdoors. The city of Santa Monica plans to monitor the program and will conduct a review after six months, with results available to the public.
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