Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, 509.625.6226
Monday, January 8, 2024 at 1 p.m.
At the Monday, January 8th Urban Experience Committee meeting, Council Members Dillon and Zappone will introduce the “Family Friendly Festivals” Ordinance to expand the use of beer gardens and increase the opportunity for the Spokane community and its visitors to enjoy the full experience of a city celebration where alcohol is served while aligning the policy with state requirements.
“This ordinance allows families like mine to stay together at street festivals, making our events more family-friendly and accessible to all who want to attend our great events,” said Council Member Zappone. “This change will bring more revenue to our local non-profits and businesses and is supported by a diverse group of Spokane organizations.”
“I am excited to see this ordinance move forward,” said Council Member Paul Dillon. “It will help a lot of our beloved events sponsored by non-profits and small businesses that are still bouncing back from the pandemic, and this approach strikes a good balance and aligns our local laws with state code.”
Currently, the City of Spokane policy is more restrictive than the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board guidelines, and these changes would meet the necessary State requirements. This would allow for all age beer gardens on city street events and not limit the number of beer gardens per event.
The ordinance has already received community support from Visit Spokane and the Downtown Spokane Partnership.
The Family Friendly Festivals Ordinance is scheduled for a vote on Monday, January 29th.
About the Spokane City Council
The City Council is the legislative body of the City of Spokane, which is home to more than 220,000 people and is located in the heart of the Inland Northwest. The City’s 2,000 employees strive to deliver efficient and effective services that facilitate economic opportunity and enhance the quality of life for all our citizens. For more information, visit SpokaneCity.org/CityCouncil/ and follow us @SpokaneCityCouncil on Facebook.
