The Newport Entertainment District has been in the works since 2023, and local business owners have finally made the push to get it going.
Known as NED, the district spans Monmouth Street from 3rd to 11th Streets. What sets it apart from the rest of the city is that from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, patrons can carry alcoholic beverages in official cups outside of bars and restaurants.
On Tuesday, in celebration of the NED’s launch, the Newport Business Council hosted its first “Monmouth on Tap” business social, which kicked off at the 927 Reserve. The event had participation from several Monmouth Street businesses, including 927 Reserve, Headquarters Event Center, Southgate House Revival and Urban Chick.
Chair of the Newport Business Council, Mark Ramler, said that the process of launching the NED has been “slowly building for a long time.” He said that the Business Council was looking at ways to get things moving, and so they decided to put on an event to “kick it off and create some momentum.”
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The council, Ramler said, was partly motivated to move forward with the NED after seeing the success of similar districts in the region, like those in
Dayton
and across the river at The Banks in Cincinnati.
“People come to the urban corridor, and they want to be entertained,” said Ramler. “They might not want to just stay at one spot. So this gives them an option to walk around a little bit and check out what else is in the area.
Newport Economic Development Coordinator John Willis told LINK that it’s up to the businesses whether or not they want to participate in the NED, and they have had a great response so far, with a few retail shops opting in.
“This has really been driven by the residents and business owners,” said Willis. “People have been asking for something like this for a long time.”
Safety was one concern that Willis said was brought up during the process of launching the NED; however, he ensured that there are strict guidelines businesses must follow, including using official cups that can only be provided by the city and signage clearly marking boundaries.
Police Chief Christopher Fangman told LINK that his department is fully prepared for what’s to come with the NED. “We get questions like ‘What are you going to do? Are you guys ready?” Fangman said he tells people, “Absolutely.”
He said that he is super excited about the district and everything Willis and the others working on development at the city level are doing, “in my 21 years here, the amount of focus [recently put] on Monmouth, it’s amazing… It’s the most fresh ideas being put up, it’s amazing right now.”
This spring, headed by Willis,
Newport launched MeetOnMonmouth.com
, a website designed to promote Monmouth Street. The site includes a business directory, event listings, special offers and a rotating business spotlight, with the goal of supporting local commerce and informing residents and visitors. It also highlights the street’s history and provides resources for entrepreneurs interested in opening businesses in the area.
Each of the cups provided to businesses features a Newport Entertainment District logo that includes a QR code, which directs you to the Meet on Monmouth site. There, you can find the rules for the district as well as a map and information on participating businesses and upcoming events.
Officially launched Monday, Willis said he hopes not only will the district be a boon for businesses, but it will be utilized for events like the upcoming car show Wheels on Monmouth, the Mammoth Music Festival in October, plus the Business Council plans to host events similar to Tuesday’s “Monmouth on Tap” social every quarter.
“This is awesome,” said Newport Commissioner Aaron Sutherland. “We’re absolutely stoked about it as a city, as a community. It’s going to be incredible.”
Find more information about the Newport Entertainment District at
meetonmonmouth.com
.
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