District of Columbia · Through 2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)

D.C. Code § 25-127: Festival license.

(a)
A festival license shall authorize a licensee temporarily to sell, serve, and permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the specific premises described for consumption on the premises where sold; provided, that a festival license may be issued only for an event that includes the performance of sports or a cultural or tourism-related activity.

(b)
A festival license shall be issued for an event that is at least 5 consecutive days but no more than 15 consecutive days.

(d)
The Board may deny the license application if the applicant had failed to control the environment of a previous event associated with either a festival license or a temporary license, or has sustained community complaints or police action.

(e)
There shall be 2 classes of festival licenses:
(1)
Class H (beer and wine); and
(2)
Class I (spirits, beer, and wine).

(f)
The holder of a festival license shall be permitted to receive deliveries from a wholesaler for up to 48 hours before a Board-licensed event occurring on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal District or federal holiday; provided, that the alcoholic beverages delivered pursuant to this subsection shall not be consumed until the date and time of the event and shall be stored at a secure location before the event.

(g)
The minimum annual fee for a class H license shall be $1,000. The minimum annual fee for a class I license shall be $2,000.

(h)
Only one festival license shall be issued to an applicant in a 3-month period.

Where this section sits in the code

Title 25. Alcoholic Beverages. [Enacted title]
Chapter 1. General Provisions and Classification of Licenses.
Subchapter II. Classification of Licenses and Permits.

(a)

A festival license shall authorize a licensee temporarily to sell, serve, and permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages at the specific premises described for consumption on the premises where sold; provided, that a festival license may be issued only for an event that includes the performance of sports or a cultural or tourism-related activity.

(b)

A festival license shall be issued for an event that is at least 5 consecutive days but no more than 15 consecutive days.

(c)

The issuance of a festival license shall be solely at the discretion of the Board.

(d)

The Board may deny the license application if the applicant had failed to control the environment of a previous event associated with either a festival license or a temporary license, or has sustained community complaints or police action.

(e)

There shall be 2 classes of festival licenses:

(1)

Class H (beer and wine); and

(2)

Class I (spirits, beer, and wine).

(f)

The holder of a festival license shall be permitted to receive deliveries from a wholesaler for up to 48 hours before a Board-licensed event occurring on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal District or federal holiday; provided, that the alcoholic beverages delivered pursuant to this subsection shall not be consumed until the date and time of the event and shall be stored at a secure location before the event.

(g)

The minimum annual fee for a class H license shall be $1,000. The minimum annual fee for a class I license shall be $2,000.

(h)

Only one festival license shall be issued to an applicant in a 3-month period.

Collected 2026-08-29T05:44:07Z. Source file · JSON

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