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Managing Bar Crawls in Arlington County

The County is developing recommendations on ways to manage “bar crawls.”

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163 responses on forum


1. What is the maximum number of hours an event should last?

Response Percent Response Count
Less than 6 hours 43.8% 70
Less than 9 hours 18.1% 29
Other 38.1% 61

What is the maximum number of events that should take place in a calendar year?

Response Percent Response Count
6 or less 35.6% 57
12 or less 18.8% 30
Other 45.6% 73

Should Arlington County place a limit on the number of events that take place during a month?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes 76.3% 122
No 23.8% 38

Should Arlington County place limits on the number of events that take place within a particular area?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes 72.7% 117
No 27.3% 44

Regarding costs associated with Police, Fire/EMS and street cleaning services, who should pay these costs?

Response Percent Response Count
Arlington County 8.7% 14
Event Organizers 57.1% 92
Business Establishments 11.8% 19
Other 22.4% 36

Please share other views and suggestions for how Arlington County can best respond to the growing demand for bar crawls.

Answered
119
Skipped
44

Are you a (check all that apply):

Response Percent Response Count
Community Member 77.9% 127
Work in Arlington County 26.4% 43
Resident Who Lives Nearby 62.0% 101
Bar Crawl Promoter 1.8% 3
Business Owner or Representative Who Participates in Bar Crawls 0.6% 1
Bar Crawl Attendee 10.4% 17
Other 4.9% 8
Name not shown inside Arlington
May 31, 2014, 7:55 AM
  • 1. What is the maximum number of hours an event should last?
    • Other - 12 Hours Max
  • What is the maximum number of events that should take place in a calendar year?
    • 12 or less
  • Should Arlington County place a limit on the number of events that take place during a month?
    • No
  • Should Arlington County place limits on the number of events that take place within a particular area?
    • No
  • Regarding costs associated with Police, Fire/EMS and street cleaning services, who should pay these costs?
    • Other - Business owners and event organizers should share the cost.
  • Please share other views and suggestions for how Arlington County can best respond to the growing demand for bar crawls.

    Bar crawls are great for people my age (21-30 yrs old) and they are a cash-cow for participating businesses and the county. People drink and eat much more than they normally would on a regular day/night out because of the enthusiastic atmosphere a bar crawl generates. That being said, there should be a plan in place to compensate for the negatives a bar crawl brings, including enforcing a strict "end time" and ensuring enough of a police and fire/EMS presence is on scene for support. These operational costs to upstaff police and fire should not be paid by the county, but instead by the businesses and event companies that are involved.

    In the future, should crawls continue to gain popularity, the county could also take steps in adding attendance caps (or stricter ones if already done) on to event permits in order to reduce the amount of people allowed to participate in the crawl.

  • Are you a (check all that apply):
    • Community Member
    • Work in Arlington County
    • Resident Who Lives Nearby
    • Bar Crawl Attendee
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