Alcohol is readily available at many community festivals. Alcohol booths at these events are often run by an organization that received a temporary alcohol license for one or a few days. Despite the large number of community festivals that occur across states and potential public health implications surrounding drinking at these events, little research has focused on these festivals. To assess the likelihood of illegal alcohol sales occurring at community festivals, we conducted pseudo-underage and pseudo-intoxicated purchase attempts at 50 community festivals throughout a Midwestern metropolitan area during Summer 2000. The sales rate to the pseudo-underage and pseudo-intoxicated buyers were 50% and 89%, respectively. Comparing these results to findings from another research study, the likelihood of illegal alcohol sales was higher at community festivals than regular, licensed establishments. A phone survey of individuals in charge of planning these events was conducted to determine types of alcohol control policies used at these events. Forty-five (90%) of the festival planners participated in the phone survey. Thirty-three percent of festival planners reported receiving sponsorship money from the alcohol industry. The majority of festivals reported restricting alcohol use to specific areas, providing free water, restricting the age of the server, and ceasing alcohol sales before the end of the event. Findings from this project will be presented along with alcohol policy recommendations for community festivals.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, audience members will be able to: (1)discuss rates of illegal alcohol sales at community events, (2) describe types of alcohol polcies used at community festivals, and (3) recommend alcohol policies for festivals.
Keywords: Alcohol, Policy/Policy Development
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.