Lansing Takes the Boozy Plunge and Makes Social Districts Permanent

Have you ever heard of a "social district"?

It's an area that allows you to enjoy booze while out in the great outdoors. And by great outdoors, I mean some city blocks downtown.

Can One Drink Alcohol While Walking Down the Streets of Michigan?

Now, I know you might be thinking to yourself, "What do you mean? I thought open container alcohol was illegal." And you wouldn't be wrong in thinking that. Michigan law states that you can't just walk down any old street with an open alcoholic beverage in your hands...except for in designated areas.

That's where social districts come into play.

Downtown Lansing Social Districts

During the height of COVID-19, Lansing introduced social districts as a way to help ease the burden of businesses that has been grappling with reduced capacity and indoor dining restrictions. Participating businesses in these social district zones could sell alcohol to patrons in "special cups that can then be consumed in shared outdoor common areas."

And what was once a temporary thing in Lansing is now going to be permanent.

So the next time you're bar hopping and enjoying a few adult beverages in Downtown Lansing, you won't need to worry about finishing your drink up before you take to the sidewalk, because Downtown Lansing Social Districts are now going to be a permanent thing. Keep in mind though, that you can only consume beverages purchased from participating restaurants in special cups in certain areas. You can't just crack open a beer that you brought from home.

Take a look at what some of the special cups look like in the Downtown Lansing Facebook post below.

Where are the Lansing Social Districts?

Right now Lansing has three distinct social districts: Downtown Lansing, REO Town, and Old Town. Keep in mind that not every bar or restaurant and not every street is a part of the various social districts. If you want to see which streets it's okay to sip booze on and to see which Lansing places are participating, take a look at the list below.