Several Hampden restaurants found themselves on the wrong side of Baltimore's liquor board this year after serving alcohol during a neighborhood street festival — but every single citation against them has now been thrown out. The businesses say they simply didn't realize the event required extra paperwork beyond their usual licenses.
According to The Business Journals, the restaurants were cited by Baltimore's liquor board for alcohol-related violations tied to the festival, and the businesses maintained they were unaware that additional permissions were needed for the June event. The outlet also reports that the liquor board ultimately dismissed all of the cited violations, clearing the restaurants entirely.
A Packed Avenue, Then a Paper Trail
The gathering at the center of the dispute was the Hampden Highlights Festival, which took over W. 36th Street — known locally as The Avenue — on Saturday, June 6, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Visit Baltimore. The free, rain-or-shine event drew more than 150 local vendors, including food and beverage purveyors, turning the commercial strip into a daylong street fair.
It's that kind of large-scale, open-to-the-public setup that can trigger extra licensing steps most restaurants don't deal with on a typical night of business. Baltimore's events guidance notes that something like a pub tour requires a special-event permit and advance submission to the Board of Liquor License Commissioners, in that case at least 42 days before the event, per a city events page. Separate state rules governing nonprofit beer, wine, and liquor festivals require permit holders to give the board's executive director a list of attending off-site permit holders at least 15 days ahead of time, according to the Maryland General Assembly's statute on the subject.
Why the Rules Trip Up Even Experienced Owners
Baltimore's licensing system has a reputation for being tricky to navigate even outside of festival season. A February report from The Baltimore Sun described the city's multistep liquor-licensing process as something that can be puzzling for local restaurateurs, especially those opening a business for the first time. That backdrop helps explain how a well-established Hampden restaurant could still end up tangled in citations over a one-day neighborhood event.
The city does offer short-term options for exactly these situations. A one-day Class C Beer and Wine License runs $60 per day, while a Class C Beer, Wine, and Liquor License costs at least $100 per day, according to the Board of Liquor License Commissioners. Separately, state law outlines a temporary to-go event permit that lets a license holder sell beer, wine, and liquor in approved to-go cups carried outside the restaurant and into a designated special-event area, per the Maryland General Assembly.
The precise permit issue behind the citations remains unclear. The Board posts hearing schedules for 2026. For now, the restaurants' citations are off the books, and the festival strip is back to business as usual.
