City Council Denies Extended Areas for Alcohol Consumption during Upcoming Festival
Shreveport, La. Discusses Alcohol Consumption Boundaries During Upcoming Humor and Harmony Festival
On Tuesday, July 9, the Shreveport City Council meeting saw rigorous discussions surrounding the scope of alcohol consumption in the downtown area during the forthcoming Humor and Harmony festival.
Resolution 109’s Rejection
Resolution 109, presented by Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor, envisaged permitting an extension of the open container area to include Stageworks and the Dome during the upcoming festival. Despite similar regulations being passed over 200 times since 2010, the city council, in a 2-5 ruling, rejected this measure.
Taylor’s Comments
Taylor stated that the accommodation had been approved countless times previously. She argued, “We’ve passed an open container regulation. We’ve done amendments and ordinances to suspect the rules for alcohol 215 plus times since 2010 with the city of Shreveport administration, so I thought with the number of people that were coming into the City of Shreveport that this would be a workable plan because we’ve done it before.”
Contrary Views Prevail
A majority of council members did not concur with Taylor. Councilwoman Ursula Bowman explained, “We did approve other alcohol extended to this Humor and Harmony, so right now we want to make sure that we’re not getting too much alcohol involved and make sure we can control the crowd and the crowd doesn’t control us.”
Potential Economic Impact
Some council members speculated that green-lighting the resolution could have spurred a positive economic repercussion in downtown Shreveport. Councilman James Green averred, “I just think that sometimes fear, false information appearing real, you know, let’s see if it works, if it doesn’t work then we have a capable police department that can take care of whatever. And I know they can take care of four blocks.”
What This Means Now
With the resolution’s failure, festival-goers will now need to finish their drinks at Stageworks before leaving the premises to ensure compliance with city ordinance. Notably, local restaurants and bars in downtown Shreveport will still serve alcohol during the festival.
Author: STAFF HERE SHREVEPORT WRITER
The SHREVEPORT STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREShreveport.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Shreveport, Caddo Parish, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Mudbug Madness Festival, Red River Revel Arts Festival, and Independence Bowl. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Shreveport-Bossier Chamber of Commerce and Shreveport Regional Arts Council, plus leading businesses in gaming, healthcare, and energy that power the local economy such as Horseshoe Casino, Ochsner LSU Health, and Atmos Energy. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREBatonRouge.com and HERENewOrleans.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Louisiana's dynamic landscape.
