Create an Entertainment Zone

Neighborhoods throughout San Francisco can create Entertainment Zones with approval from the Board of Supervisors.  

Steps to Create an Entertainment Zone

1. Talk to City Staff: Send an email to the Entertainment Zone Specialists (entertainmentzones@sfgov.org). They’ll help you decide if an Entertainment Zone is a good fit for your neighborhood and explain the steps to create one.  
2. Get Everyone Involved: Talk to important stakeholders like business owners, nearby residents, law enforcement, your District Supervisor, community members, and the land authority for your area (such as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco Public, Works, Port of San Francisco, or Recreation and Parks Department).  
3. Provide Basic Information: Complete an Interest Form with the proposed boundaries, hours of operation, and a few other details. The Entertainment Zone Specialists will share this information with relevant City agencies to get their feedback about any potential challenges or concerns regarding your proposal.  
4. Get Approval from the Board of Supervisors: The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has to establish an Entertainment Zone through a local ordinance that defines the boundaries, days and hours of the zone. After that ordinance passes, your Entertainment Zone will be officially established. 
5. Make a Plan: The Entertainment Zone Specialists will write a Management Plan for your zone, working with you to outline important operational details. The City will then approve the plan, publish it, and share it with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.  
6. Notify State and City Officials: All the bars, restaurants, wineries, and breweries in your Entertainment Zone that want to sell alcoholic drinks to-go must notify the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Entertainment Zone Specialists.  
7. Get Ready: Gather materials like the designated cups, signs, and permits described in the Management Plan. 
8. Get Permits: You will need a one-day event permit from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for each day you want to operate your Entertainment Zone. Only one business needs to get a permit to enable all approved businesses in the zone to participate. There are two types of permits that can be used: 
   • Option 1 - nonprofit organizations can apply for a Daily License.  
   • Option 2 - a qualified food and beverage business can apply for a Caterer’s Permit. 

You will also need to get any other approvals required to host events in the proposed location. For example, you need a street closure permit from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency if you plan to close the street to cars.  

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I create an Entertainment Zone? See the process outlined above. The first step is to email the Entertainment Zone Specialists (entertainmentzones@sfgov.org). 
• How big can an Entertainment Zone be? There are no restrictions on size. Entertainment Zones should be large enough to fit patrons without crowding but small enough to manage responsibly.  The first Entertainment Zone on Front Street is one block, but other Entertainment Zones may be larger.  
• How often can I activate an Entertainment Zone? Operating hours can be set broadly, and there is no limit on how many days you can use the Entertainment Zone. However, you need a one-day event permit for each day you want to use it, plus any other approvals to use the space (like a street closure permit).  
• If Entertainment Zones must be during an event, what counts as an event? It’s flexible. The idea is to use public space in a creative way. Events can include artistic, cultural, and entertainment elements that suit your neighborhood.  
• How do I sign up to sell to-go drinks in an existing Entertainment Zone? If you are a licensed bar, restaurant, winery, or brewery located within an existing Entertainment Zone, start by contacting the Point Person for that Entertainment Zone. You can find their contact information in the Management Plan below. Then notify the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Entertainment Zone Specialists of your intention to participate.   
• Where do I get designated cups? Each Entertainment Zone will provide their own non-metal and non-glass cups. You will sort out the details with the Entertainment Zone specialists when you create the Management Plan.  
• What if I have a complaint for concern about an Entertainment Zone? Contact the Entertainment Zone Specialists (entertainmentzones@sfgov.org). 
• What about liability? The city will set a minimum insurance requirement for each Entertainment Zone in the establishing ordinance. Permit holders within the Entertainment Zone must also follow the insurance rules of any other required permits. Businesses selling alcohol to-go in the Entertainment Zone should talk to their insurance company about possible risks and liability questions. 

Rules

For the Entertainment Zones:

• Must be designated by the Board of Supervisors through the adoption of an ordinance that establishes the zone's boundaries and permissible days and times of operation.  
• Can only be active during special events that are permitted by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.  
• Must follow the operational guidelines outlined in a Management Plan written by the Entertainment Zone Specialists with input from participating businesses, City agencies, and community stakeholders.  
• Must acquire any permits necessary to comply with the local ordinance and Management Plan, such as street closure permits, and comply with applicable insurance requirements. 
• Must mark geographic boundaries via signs, sidewalk decals, or other methods approved in the Management Plan. 

For businesses selling alcoholic beverages to-go: 

• Must be a licensed bar, restaurant, winery, or brewery. Liquor stores and grocery stores are not eligible. 
• Must notify the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Entertainment Zone Specialists of their intent to participate. 
• May only sell to-go beverages in approved non-metal or non-glass containers. Beverages can include cocktails, beer, and wine if approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.  
• May only sell and serve alcoholic beverages on its licensed premises. 
• Must verify that anyone purchasing or consuming alcoholic beverages within the Entertainment Zone is 21 years of age or older. 

For patrons: 

• Keep alcoholic beverages within the Entertainment Zone – look for marked boundaries. 
• Only drink alcoholic beverages from the designated cups they were served in.  
• Do not take an alcoholic beverage into any establishment except where it was purchased. 
• No outside alcohol is allowed.   
• Dispose of cups in recycling, compost, or reusable cup return receptacles before exiting the Entertainment Zone. 
• Drink responsibly.