Atlanta expands open drinking near stadiums, tourist spots during World Cup
Visitors and residents who flock to Atlanta’s stadium district for the FIFA World Cup this summer will be able to enjoy the festivities with an alcoholic beverage in hand.
A new entertainment district will allow for temporary drinking on public streets and city sidewalks when the international soccer tournament comes to town from June 11 to July 19.
Eight matches take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — including a semifinal game.
The district’s boundaries include areas surrounding Atlanta’s sporting arenas and other popular tourist attractions as city officials look to capitalize on visitor spending.
The expanded open container area encompasses Centennial Olympic Park and areas near the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The entertainment district’s boundaries also include Underground Atlanta.
It’s the second move by the Atlanta City Council to institute open drinking areas, which have never been allowed by the city before.
On April 15, the historic South Downtown became the first neighborhood in the city to institute open container rules. The change was approved by the Atlanta City Council last month and is aimed at bringing more foot traffic to the area alongside new developments.
Developers of the South Downtown project, a partnership between Atlanta Ventures founders Jon Birdsong and David Cummings, advocated for the new open drinking rules. The scattered development encompasses 57 buildings across roughly 16 acres of the neighborhood between Underground Atlanta, Five Points MARTA station and Centennial Yards.
The Dickens administration previously floated the idea of creating open container districts and adjusted pouring hours in hopes of boosting the tournament’s estimated economic impact from $500 million to more than $1 billion.
Around 300,000 visitors are expected downtown during the eight games, which include a coveted semifinal match.
About the Authors
Riley Bunch is a politics reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution who covers the impacts of policy on everday Georgians.
