Providence Suspending Open-Container Law for This Weekend Only

Photo by Eric Harrison on Flickr/Creative Commons

For this weekend only, you can meanders through the streets of beautiful downtown Providence, beer in hand, and nobody can tell you otherwise. Thank March Madness.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament kicks off Saturday at the Dunkin Donuts Center. While the Dunk itself will remain alcohol-free, as per NCAA rules, the city has temporarily suspended its open-container law in several designated zones downtown. Some of the streets located within these zones will be closed to traffic, reports the Providence Journal.

The open-container zones are as follows:

• Dorrance Street to Empire Street—Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m.
• Between Fountain Street and Washington Streets—Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m.
• Atwells Avenue, between Acorn Street and Garibaldi Square—Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“These are good people coming in throughout the country for the NCAA, and alcohol consumption is part of the festivities,” Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré told the ProJo. “Our experience talking to other municipalities and cities that have hosted the NCAA is, it’s a crowd that is respectful of law and doesn’t over-consume alcohol.”