Sacramento advances program to allow to-go cocktails during special events
Sacramento’s City Council approved a pilot program, Tuesday evening, that will allow bars and restaurants to sell alcoholic drinks to-go during designated events, adopting a model that has yielded some early successes for San Francisco drinkeries.
Business owners have advocated for the program, arguing that it will help them benefit from the city’s many festivals and street fairs. Some said that they at times have felt boxed out from such events, where they might have throngs of revelers outside their doors who don’t want to come inside. Some touted it as an extension of the al-fresco dining movement popularized during the pandemic.
Proponents have pointed to the successes of San Francisco’s program. The city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development told the Bee earlier this year that three establishments in an entertainment zone reported sales increases of 700% to 1,500% during the special events, compared to typical days.
“These events are powerful for businesses,” said Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento.
The ordinance passed unanimously, and the seven members of the public who spoke during the meeting were in favor of the proposal.
“We can treat adults like adults,” said Wes Samms, CEO and lead organizer of the City of Trees Parade.
Still, Sacramento officials have offered assurances that they intend to grow the program slowly, and that the law requires businesses to submit detailed plans that include security considerations and ID checks.
“It’s not open consumption 24/7,” said Tina Lee-Vogt, Sacramento’s nighttime economy manager. “We’re not trying to be New Orleans or Las Vegas.”
City staff proposed three entertainment zones:
- A block-and-a-half stretch of 20th Street, from J Street to Kayak Alley, plus one eastward block of K Street. The area includes establishments like LowBrau, Roscoe’s Bar & Burgers and The Depot.
- An 11-block area surrounding the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, including the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, a handful of restaurants, the Sheraton Grand Hotel and the Hyatt Regency.
- The half-block bounded by 7th and 8th Streets, and K and Merchant Streets, including an Irish pub and Butcher & Barrel.
Lee-Vogt said the entertainment zone designation could be activated for the Rainbow Festival in August, at 20th and K Streets, or for the Terra Madre Americas festival near the convention center in September.
San Francisco started with one entertainment zone, Lee-Vogt said, and today has 20. And downtown and midtown aren’t the only neighborhoods that could benefit in Sacramento, she said.
“There are a lot of areas we could activate,” Lee-Vogt said. “This is just the first step.”
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 8:19 PM.
