City Council OKs expansion of downtown Rockford entertainment district

October 7, 2024|By Kevin Haas|In Trending, Rock River Current, 815 News, Local, Rockford
The sun sets on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, on downtown Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our free e-newsletter

ROCKFORD — The city’s nearly year-old downtown entertainment district is set to expand in its second year.

City Council members on Monday approved new boundaries and new hours for the district, sometimes called a social district, and cemented the program to continue indefinitely.

The program, which allows you to take an alcoholic drink on the go in a special container while you shop, was set to expire Oct. 31 without action from aldermen.

Aldermen voted 12-0 to approve the ordinance.

The council’s vote continues the program indefinitely and expands the boundaries by a few blocks in an attempt to capture more of downtown’s walkable areas.

The new hours of operation are now 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days per week. Previously, the hours of the district were 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The district was created a year ago in an attempt to foster a more lively experience downtown and encourage shoppers to explore the area. It was modeled after similar concepts in Raleigh and Greensboro, North Carolina, and Holland, Michigan.

New boundaries

The proposed boundaries of the downtown social district extends the previous footprint north by a couple blocks. (Image via city of Rockford)

Previous boundaries

The proposed boundaries of the Downtown Social District covers businesses on both sides of the Rock River. (Image via city survey)

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas