16th Street won’t be like New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street when it comes to the open consumption of alcohol.

It will continue to be illegal to drink alcohol while walking along 16th Street, a spokesperson for the city’s department in charge of liquor licensing said Thursday.

While Denver is looking into expanding where it’s legal to drink outside on 16th Street — specifically at Glenarm Plaza in front of the Denver Pavilions — it has caused speculation that downtown’s main corridor might be much more alcohol-friendly as the lengthy construction wraps up than it actually will be.

Officials are reminding people that a proposal to create a city-established consumption area will be limited to a certain area, not all 13 blocks.

“There will not be open containers up and down 16th Street with City Established Consumption Areas,” said Eric Escudero, communications director  for Denver’s excise and licenses department, in an email. “We don’t want people thinking that and trying to take their drink down 16th Street and be in violation of the law.”

As part of Denver’s efforts to establish a new image for the corridor ahead of its reopening, the city dropped the word “mall” from 16th Street’s name to make it clearer that the area is more than a shopping destination — it’s a drinking and dining one as well. 

Denver’s 16th Street Mall officially now just 16th Street

“We do know Denverites like to drink beer and have a cocktail and relax,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said at a news conference on Tuesday.

He said things like a new city-consumption area at Glenarm Plaza and events at Skyline Park’s Beer Garden aim to draw people back to the corridor. People are also allowed to drink at Outer Space, a street corner on 16th Street and Welton where there are several small food stands.

Drinks will also allowed and at more licensed bars and restaurants as they rebuild the outdoor patios the city required them to tear down for construction.

“You’ll see some things you’ve loved before, some things that will be new, but we think for everyone there’s going to be something to love about 16th Street,” Johnston later added.

The proposal to establish a consumption area seeks to create a zone on Glenarm Place on both sides of 16th Street where people can buy alcoholic beverages and drink them outside. The Paramount Theatre would benefit from such a zone, as it’s at 1621 Glenarm Place.

People would not be allowed to bring their own drinks, according to the proposed city rules, but would have to buy them from one of the several eligible liquor-licensed businesses. Those would include Maggiano’s, 5280 Burger, West of Surrender, Henry’s Tavern, Que Rico and Paramount Theatre.

The area would be restricted to the ground floor and people will not be allowed to carry alcoholic beverages up Denver Pavilions’ escalators or stairs going up to the second floor. People will also not be allowed to bring their take-out drinks out of the designated consumption area or into an adjacent business that’s not eligible.

The zone still has not been established, but officials hope to get it set up in time for the 16th Street Summer Kickoff on May 31, Escudero said.

Establishing the zone also depends on whether businesses can get a state liquor take-home permit as required by law, he said, and installation of signage informing visitors of the zone.

The city consumption area would also be in effect between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. There will be extensions running until 12:30 a.m. for several busy weekends including May 31 and June 1, July 4 and July 5, Aug. 29 until Sept. 1 and New Years Day.

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The open-consumption area at Glenarm Plaza will be one of the newest additions hoping to revitalize 16th Street for its reopening from years of construction that burdened businesses as downtown struggles with empty offices and lower visitor counts.

“We want this to be a driver of people returning to 16th Street to see the end result of years of improvements and safety enhancements,” Escudero said, “but not before everything is in place that is required under city and state law.”