WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Wilmington City Council approved expanding the Brooklyn Arts Social District from two Saturdays a month to every Saturday during its meeting on Tuesday, April 21.
The ordinance passed 5-2, with Mayor Pro-Tem Kevin Spears and councilmember Chakema Clinton-Quintana voting against it.
The Brooklyn Arts District Collective can now operate every Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The expansion will begin as a six-month pilot program from April 25 through Oct. 24. Agenda documents state this is to see how the district performs during peak tourism season. Following the pilot program, the social district will continue to operate every Saturday unless significant issues arise.
The program was first piloted in January 2025. The North Carolina General Assembly approved legislation in 2021 that created the framework for social districts. Wilmington’s Brooklyn Arts District launched the region’s first.
The program allows patrons to buy drinks from participating businesses and consume them anywhere within the designated Brooklyn Arts District. The district spans 10 blocks along N. 4th Street from Walnut to N. Front streets and one block on Red Cross Street from 3rd to 4th Streets. Seventeen businesses currently participate.
The Social District Advisory Committee recommended approval of the expansion after a public meeting on April 1. The committee reviewed information about the social district operations and concluded there are no known negative impacts. Public comments received during the meeting supported extending the social district to every week.