Outdoor music venues in Austin's Red River Cultural District will be allowed to have amplified music an hour later on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights indefinitely. This follows a pilot program that lasted more than year and allowed outdoor music till midnight Thursdays and till 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights.
The Austin City Council today voted to make the trial permanent after receiving an analysis from the city’s economic development department that found the extra hours resulted in more money for music venues, venue staff and local musicians.
“These additional three hours a week are going to pay tremendous dividends to the live local music venues in the Red River Cultural District and the economy as a whole within the spectrum of music,” Stubb’s BBQ general manager Ryan Garrett told the City Council before the vote.
The local neighborhood association also supported the change, saying club owners had been responsive to their concerns.
“Without them this would not have passed so well and we would not be in favor, but we really do, we really support this,” Kimberly Levinson, vice president of the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association, said.
Mayor Pro-Tem Kathie Tovo included an amendment to the rule change to ensure the consultation process would continue with people affected by the change, including residents far from the venues who can sometimes hear the music “through a quirky feat of nature,” she said.
