Texarkana Entertainment District – New Rules to Curb Underage Drinking & Late-Night Chaos

The Texarkana, Arkansas Board of Directors made a couple of changes to the downtown Entertainment District to help curb underage drinking, and will also continue to encourage patronage to the restaurants and bars located downtown.

The first meeting of the year took place on Monday, January 5.

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Big Changes For Texarkana Entertainment District

With this new ordinance, you will not be able to bring alcohol into the Entertainment District from an outside source. Which means, only alcohol purchased in the district may be openly consumed.

The Rock House has now been removed from the Entertainment District. This means you will not be allowed to carry open containers out of the Rock House any longer.

READ MORE: Texarkana Citizens Police Academy: 2026 Registration Open

City officials say the ordinance will also change the hours during which alcohol can be consumed outdoors in the Entertainment District. Drinking outdoors will stop at 12 AM. Citizens will need to go inside the bars or clubs that are open at that time. Businesses will continue to keep their normal hours, but customers cannot consume alcohol outdoors; they must be inside the restaurant, bar, or club where they purchased the alcohol.

The goal of this ordinance is to put a stop to the large groups of people gathering outside, the underage drinking, and the disturbances in the area.

When Does The Ordinance For the Texarkana Entertainment District Go into Effect?

There will be a 30-day grace period, during which people will be informed about the new ordinance; after that, citations may be issued.

The change stems from a request by concerned business owners in the Entertainment District and the Texarkana, Arkansas Police Department.

This is a Big Step in the Right Direction for Texarkana

This is definitely a step in the right direction, considering the story we covered below about the crowds, fights and reckless driving that took place in the streets over the Thanksgiving holiday. It's all about keeping our downtown safe for everyone to enjoy.

READ MORE: TAPD Seeks IDs: Downtown Texarkana Reckless Driving & Fighting

You can watch the Texarkana, Arkansas City of Board of Directors meeting below. They start talking about the issue at 49:59