Governor Bill Haslam signed the “to-go cup” bill (House Bill No. 642) on April 28, which will soon make it legal to carry open containers of beer or liquor on one block in downtown Nashville. The law goes into effect on July 1.
The approved block is on Fifth Avenue between Demonbreun Street and Korean Veterans Boulevard and allows people to carry alcohol as they walk between Music City Center, Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Omni hotel. The goal was to make these three buildings a more cohesive unit rather than create a downtown environment where patrons walk around with a drink in their hand.
Last year, a bill attempting to allow open containers to be carried on Lower Broadway failed to gain enough support to be passed.
While the law only allows for open containers on the one block, it begs the question: Does this limited area set the stage for potentially expanding the area to include additional streets in the future?
Stay tuned.
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Sherod Robertson is President and Owner of MusicRow Enterprises. He oversees all operations and develops strategic initiatives for MusicRow magazine, RowFax, and MusicRow's CountryBreakout chart. Robertson previously served as Director of Finance of Arista Records after beginning his career as Vice President of Finance and CFO at Reunion Records.View Author Profile
