Seattle tests looser alcohol rules for World Cup and beyond
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Pike Place Market is letting people carry alcoholic beverages on its main street on summer weekends. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
Seattle is experimenting with looser rules around drinking, both for the World Cup and beyond.
Why it matters: Expanded alcohol service zones at World Cup fan events and Pike Place Market are temporary for now. But they may lead to a longer-term relaxation of the state's liquor laws.
Catch up quick: A new state law approved last year lets people roam more freely with drinks at several of Seattle's World Cup fan celebrations, rather than being confined to smaller, roped-off beer gardens.
- The same law also allows restaurants to band together to provide shared, family-friendly outdoor spaces where people can drink without some of the typical restrictions, such as strict fencing and staffing requirements.
- The more permissive law is in effect through the end of 2027, when the Legislature can decide whether to extend it.
How it works: At Pike Place Market, businesses are taking advantage of the new law to let people carry alcoholic drinks along the market's main street.
- The market's "Sip and Savor" pilot runs from noon to 5pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day.
Meanwhile, at Seattle Center and the waterfront, expanded alcohol service zones for the World Cup are letting people drink beer and wine in a wider area — such as throughout the Armory Building on certain match days, as well as the entirety of Pier 62.
- Pacific Place is also using the new law for expanded alcohol service at its World Cup fan fest.
The goal is to create "a more welcoming environment," says state Rep. Julia Reed (D-Seattle), who sponsored the legislation. "We want people to be out using the public space that they own," she tells Axios.
- At Pike Place Market, the vision is for people to be able to buy a drink and "sit with their kids rather than have to be in a bar," Joel Miller, public space manager at the Seattle Department of Transportation, tells Axios.
Yes, but: Certain rules remain in place — such as requiring the expanded drinking areas to have a defined outer perimeter and security plans.
The big picture: The state law can also be used by neighboring breweries in areas like Ballard to create shared outdoor spaces for dining and drinking.
- Seattle city officials are encouraging more restaurants to expand dining service outdoors by helping cover permit fees, Miller says.
- "I think our vision is larger than Pike Place," he says.
What's next: Cities and counties taking advantage of the program have to submit reports in the coming months outlining how well the system has worked.
- Those reports will help inform whether the Legislature extends the program beyond 2027.