"The street closures when we have live music, people were restricted to partake in only 1 or 2 businesses for drinks and food," Mayor Brianne Zorn told the Martinez City Council in August, according to Contra Costa News. "So only a few people benefited from it."
The council's answer was the Downtown Entertainment Zone, which passed 5-0. Downtown Martinez & Co. says it will open the zone at Pink Friday & Holiday Tree Lighting, on Friday, November 20, from 5 to 9 p.m.
What changes on Main Street on November 20
Downtown Martinez & Co. calls Pink Friday "one of Downtown Martinez's most festive events of the year." The event listing promises pink-lit storefronts, an outdoor evening holiday market, Candy Cane Lane on Main Street, live entertainment, a Toys for Tots collection and the Christmas tree lighting. The listed address is 649 Main Street.
What's new this year shows up in the volunteer call: "This year we will be activating the new Entertainment Zone and will need help with our full pour station." Volunteers will pour beer and wine at the Downtown Martinez & Co. booth. So adults who buy a drink at that booth, or from a participating licensed business inside the zone, can carry it on the sidewalk while they shop the market.
Councilmember Debbie McKillop pointed out a second change. She liked that the zone "doesn't require street closures all the time," which she said had made traffic hard to manage at the end of event nights, according to Contra Costa News. The zone is tied to permitted events. It doesn't depend on barricades.
Sarah Baird, executive director of Downtown Martinez & Co., described the goal in the City's announcement, carried by Contra Costa News: "to encourage people to shop, dine, listen to music, attend events, and experience Martinez in a new way."
The rules that come with a drink in hand
Because the drinks can move, the rules are about the cup. The City's Entertainment Zones page and the adopted Downtown Entertainment Zone Management Plan set them out:
- Who can drink: People 21 and older, buying from participating businesses that hold the right Alcoholic Beverage Control licenses.
- No outside alcohol: Only drinks bought from participating licensed businesses may be consumed in the zone. Mayor Zorn listed people bringing their own drinks as one of the problems the zone was meant to fix.
- The cup stays the cup: A drink has to stay in its original approved container and can't be poured into another one. Compostable or reusable cups are allowed. Glass and metal are not.
- Age checks vary by event: The plan allows wristbands, stamps or another method the police approve. Each event's security plan decides which one.
- Hours have an outer limit: The plan caps zone hours at 10 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Each event permit and each business's own license can set shorter hours. Pink Friday's published schedule runs 5 to 9 p.m.
- The boundary is mapped: The City sends visitors to its interactive CommunityView map to see where the zone starts and ends.
The City also says plainly that "participation in the Entertainment Zone does not require the purchase or consumption of alcohol." The market, the music and the tree lighting are open to everyone. The rules above summarize public City documents. This is general information, not legal advice, so check the City's page or the event organizer for anything specific to your plans.
Which nights can use the zone, and which can't
The zone doesn't run every weekend. Only three organizations can turn it on, each through an approved Special Event Permit: Downtown Martinez & Co., the Martinez Chamber of Commerce and the City. The management plan names the signature events that qualify:
- Lunar New Year Celebration
- Earth Day
- Bay Area Craft Beer Festival
- King of the County BBQ
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- Beaver Festival
- Art in the Park
- Pride
- Martini Shake-Off
- Holiday Frolic
Pink Friday isn't on that list. It falls under the second path, which lets Downtown Martinez & Co. or the Chamber propose other events for a permit. The Holiday Frolic is on the list, but no announcement says the zone will open for it this year. The rest of the season mixes nights with a zone and nights without one, so the guide below separates them.
Before Pink Friday: November on Main Street
Until Pink Friday, November on Main Street is about crafts, food and family, and none of these events has been announced as a zone night.
- Sunday Downtown Farmers' Market, every Sunday in November: November 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Main Street.
- First Fridays: Dia de Muertos, November 6, 6 to 9 p.m.: An altar, story time, music, dancing, crafts and a walk through downtown.
- Downtown D&D, November 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: An interactive fantasy adventure played across local shops, restaurants, bars and community spots on Main Street.
- Pink Friday & Holiday Tree Lighting, November 20, 5 to 9 p.m.: Downtown Martinez & Co. plans to activate the zone.
- Harvest Craft Fair, November 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: At the Martinez Senior Center, 818 Green Street, a few blocks off Main.
Makers who want a booth at the Pink Friday evening market have until November 7 to apply. The volunteer deadline, including shifts at the pour station, is November 6.
After the tree lighting
Small Business Saturday and Santa House, November 28
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Downtown Martinez & Co. launches its Holiday Gift Guide with prizes on the plaza, according to Your Town Monthly's fall roundup. Santa House visits on Main Street start the same day, and the City calendar shows the last visit day as December 23. Hours haven't been published yet. The City sends families to Downtown Martinez for the schedule.
Holiday Frolic, December 4
The City calendar lists the Holiday Frolic for Friday, December 4, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Main Street, with the parade stepping off at 6:30. Groups that want to march have until November 23 to apply. The Frolic also includes a downtown window contest: voting runs November 21 through December 1, and winners are announced December 3. The City's signature-events page describes games, face painting, prizes, a glow-in-the-dark parade and visits from Mr. and Mrs. Claus. It's an eligible zone event. Whether it will open the zone this year hasn't been announced.
Santa Beer Crawl, December 12
The Santa Beer Crawl runs Saturday, December 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. Downtown Martinez & Co. presents it and encourages Santa suits and ugly Christmas sweaters. According to the event listing, the stops are small businesses along Main Street, and the beer selections and pour locations will be posted closer to the date. The crawl hasn't been named as a zone event either. It works the way downtown events worked before the zone: you go from business to business, and each one pours its own tastings.
Ticket sales also fund the organization's work downtown. Every ticket bought and every event attended helps Downtown Martinez & Co. support local businesses and reinvest downtown.
Parking for an evening downtown
The Pink Friday listing says street parking is free on weekends. It also points to a general lot at Marina Vista and Ferry Street. Pink Friday and the Holiday Frolic both fall on Fridays, so a spot in that lot is the simplest plan for either evening.
Last August, Mayor Zorn called the zone a way of "solving multiple problems at once." On November 20, downtown gets to see how that works, from Candy Cane Lane to the tree.
Our team has followed downtown Martinez for years and plans to be at the tree lighting with everyone else. If you have questions about what changes downtown mean for your home in Martinez, the Wendy Moore Real Estate Team is happy to talk them through with you over coffee on Main Street. Contact Us.
