Sip n' Stroll Downtown: Raleigh social district allowing open containers of alcohol begins Monday

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Grab your drinks and your walking shoes, downtown Raleigh is about to try something new.

Sip n' Stroll Downtown is a new social district that will allow people to drink beer, wine or cocktails as they walk down the street.

It's the latest push from Raleigh city leaders to increase economic activity in the City of Oaks. The experiment was made possible thanks to a 2021 law passed by the NC General Assembly allowing municipalities to create specific areas where alcohol could be purchased and taken outdoors freely.

Raleigh's Sip n' Stroll Downtown begins Monday, Aug. 15. Alcohol that was purchased inside the social district can be carried outside the bar or restaurant where it was purchased from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. (with the possibility of exceptions after 10 p.m. for special events).

The boundaries for the district begin in the north at Morgan Street in front of the State Capitol Building and running south all the way to Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. It runs west to east from McDowell Street to Blount Street -- with a few strategic extensions.

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