South Lake Tahoe welcomes SnowGlobe festival-goers

New Year’s Eve is nearly here! Once again South Lake Tahoe is hosting an officially sanctioned event where our locals and visitors can go and celebrate, rather than congregating at the Stateline on U.S. Highway 50. The three-day SnowGlobe Music Festival begins on Dec. 29, and will be held on the sports field adjacent to Lake Tahoe Community College on Al Tahoe Boulevard.

We encourage our locals and visitors who desire to venture outdoors on New Year’s Eve to enjoy the celebration here. Please visit the SnowGlobe Music Festival website learn more about this and how to get tickets. This special event offers our locals and guests an enjoyable and safe environment where celebration is encouraged. In addition to bringing good business into our City, and providing an enjoyable venue where people can celebrate in safety, we hope this may also relieve some of the pedestrian crowding on U.S. Highway 50 in the state line casino corridor area.

Traditionally, each New Year’s Eve brings thousands of revelers to the Stateline casino corridor in celebration. Before the SnowGlobe Music Festival came to town, there have been few other options available for such a massive outdoor gathering. We would like to discourage people from being in the street, particularly on Highway 50 near the Stateline on New Year’s Eve.

Consistently, so many people flood the area that we are forced to close U.S. Highway 50 for public safety reasons. Each year a large law enforcement presence on both sides of the Stateline join efforts to manage safety issues involved with such a large crowd. It will be the same this year as well.

Should you opt to congregate in this area we would like our guests to remain aware of a few things in order to help us make this a safe and enjoyable evening for everyone:

1. No glass or other hard beverage containers are permitted in the Stateline corridor on New Year’s Eve; regardless of whether or not they contain alcohol. Cans, bottles and similar hard containers are prohibited. Any violation of this ordinance will be strictly enforced on both sides of the Stateline as a misdemeanor criminal offense.

2. If you are under 18 and plan to be out for the New Year’s Eve celebration, please be with your parents or other responsible adult. The South Lake Tahoe curfew is 10:00pm, every night, including New Year’s Eve. (SLT City Ordinance 18-3)

3. Please, no loitering or remaining on public or private property once you have been asked to leave. (SLT City ordinances 18-12.1, 18-12 & section 602 Ca. Penal Code).

4. Disorderly Conduct, Public Intoxication, is a misdemeanor criminal offense (647(f) Ca. penal code).

5. Please place all trash in the appropriate containers (SLT City Ordinance 23-26)

6. Possession of opened alcoholic beverages in public, or in vehicles, is a misdemeanor. (SLT City ordinance 18-9)

7. Contributing to the delinquency of a minor is a misdemeanor offense (272 Ca. penal code)

8. Offensive noises, voices, or music, which can be heard 50 feet from a building (or 10 feet from a vehicle) is prohibited, and may be prosecuted as misdemeanor crimes. (SLT City ordinance 18-10)

9. Please keep your party orderly, whether at the hotel or at your residence, so it does not disturb your neighbors (415(2) Ca. penal code).

10. Fireworks of ANY nature are illegal. Please do not bring these to the New Year’s Eve celebration in the state line corridor (SLT City ordinance 12-31A).

11. The lawful age to possess alcohol in California, open or not, is 21. (25662 Ca. B&P code)

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department understands everyone wants to enjoy themselves. Please help us maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone. Thank you for your assistance, and have a happy New Year!