School is out and the Athens DORA is in!
The Athens DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) is back up and running in Uptown Athens for its biggest year yet – in 2023, the Athens DORA will be turned on every day until August 15! During the days and times that the DORA is in effect, people 21 years old and over can purchase alcoholic beverages from a permitted establishment and carry them within a clearly defined area within Athens. You can learn more about the rules and boundaries of the Athens DORA at https://athensdora.com/.
2023 Athens DORA Daily Times
Monday – Thursday: 5pm – 10pm
Friday – Saturday: 12pm – 10pm
Sunday: 12pm – 8pm
In addition to the DORA being open 7 days a week, this year there are also planned DORA Days throughout the summer. Those DORA Day events will utilize the DORA as a simple street closure on a small scale to promote the DORA, and the kick-off was held on Friday, May 19th when West State Street was closed from Congress to Court in order for live music and a film to be played on the street.
The following is a list of upcoming DORA Day dates, the event being held, and the street closure that corresponds (*please note that dates of the street closures are subject to change):
June 16, 2023: Pride Week; Union Street from Congress to Court
July 7, 2023: Start of Brew Week; Court Street from Washington to State
August 4, 2023: DORA Day; West State Street from Congress to Court
And speaking of street closures, the City of Athens has also released a comprehensive list of street closures for the rest of 2023 (*again, please note that street closures are subject to change). For these dates, the City of Athens will close designated streets to vehicular traffic no earlier than 6:00a.m. and no later than midnight, and will maintain cross traffic wherever practicable. Additionally, the City will also ban parking on designated streets beginning no earlier than 3:00 a.m. and no later than 1:00 a.m. the following day to accommodate said events.
2023 City of Athens Street Closures
- Ohio University International Street Festival, 4/8/2023, Union Street from College to Court
- Athens Film Festival Court Street Screening, 4/15/2023, Court Street from Union to Washington
- DORA Days – in coordination with Anti-Racism Book Club and Ohio Brew Week (each date to be on a different block), DORA kickoff, 5/20/2023, West State Street from Congress to Court; Pride Week, 6/16/2023, Union Street from Congress to Court; Start of Brew Week 7/7/2023, Court Street from Washington to State; and DORA Day, 8/4/2023, West State Street from Congress to Court
- Boogie on the Bricks, 6/24/2023, Court Street from Washington to State
- The Plains Lions Club Cruise-ins, 6/9/2023, 7/28/2023, 9/1/2023, Court Street from Washington to State
- Ohio Brew Week Last Call, 7/15/2023, Court Street from Washington to Carpenter
- Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau – Athena Ride for Women, 8/4/2023, Union Street from Court to Congress
- OhioHealth Bounty on the Bricks, 8/5/2023, Court Street from Union to Washington
- Athens Arts & Music Festival, 8/12/2023, Union Street from Court to Congress
- Ohio University Welcome Weekend – Student Fair, 8/27/2023, Union Street from College to Court
- City of Athens Halloween/AUBA Trick or Treat, 10/28/2023, full uptown area
- Annual Holiday Tree Lighting, 12/8/2023, lane closure on Court Street in front of Courthouse; and
- Passion Works New Year’s Eve Party, 12/31/2023, State Street from College to Court