On Friday, November 29, 2019, people shopping Fairfield Avenue could carry a drink down the sidewalk in Bellevue for the first time. The city timed the opening of its new Bellevue Entertainment District to the annual Christmas Walk. The Northern Kentucky Tribune reported that the walk would be "the first event to benefit" from the district. Back then the cups cost 50 cents, carried the city's "In Vue" logo, and worked only from noon to 10 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Mayor Charlie Cleves told the Tribune at the time:
"If I can have a cocktail while my wife shops on Fairfield Avenue, I think I would last twice as long walking around with her."
Seven holiday seasons later, the district is no longer a special-occasion thing. It runs every day. The holidays now sit on top of the same monthly routine the avenue keeps all year: First Fridays across the 200 to 700 blocks, with one Saturday tree lighting on the avenue in between. Once you know that structure, planning a Bellevue November and December gets simple.
The Cup Rules Outgrew The Weekend They Started With
In August 2021, Bellevue City Council expanded the district, which most people call the B.E.D. LINK nky reported that it would now run seven days a week from 9 a.m. to midnight, replacing the original three-day schedule. The area still covers most of the Fairfield Avenue business district, between Riviera Drive and O'Fallon Avenue.
The city's current 2026 BED flyer lists the hours as "9AM - Midnight Every Day" and sets out these rules:
- You can carry and drink alcohol on Fairfield Avenue sidewalks and crosswalks, and inside participating Fairfield Avenue businesses, within the marked green zone.
- Drinks may only be carried in a City-approved BED cup.
- Drinks must be bought from a licensed vendor inside the district.
- Any business can choose not to allow BED cups inside.
- Drinks cannot leave the district for any reason.
That flyer covers the basics. It is general information, not legal advice, so check the city's posted rules and the signs along the avenue for current details.
The rules matter this season because of the hours. Every Fairfield Avenue event on the 2026 holiday calendar falls within the B.E.D.'s daily window. The city's InVue business collective also says the district's cups are part of First Fridays, which it calls "SIP · SHOP · STROLL."
The 2026 Season Is Mostly Fridays
InVue describes First Fridays as the night each month when most retail shops stay open later and team up with bars and restaurants on a themed event along "The Avenue" in the 200 to 700 blocks of Fairfield. The holiday season follows that monthly pattern:
Friday, November 6, 6 to 9 p.m. First Friday: Flannels, Football, & Fire Pits on Fairfield Avenue. The city's listing invites people to "sip, shop, and stroll."
Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Touch-A-Truck at Bellevue Beach Park, 643–665 Frank Benke Way. This one is down by the river, a few blocks off the avenue.
Saturday, November 28, 6 to 7 p.m. Tree Lighting & Santa at St. John United Church of Christ, 520 Fairfield Avenue. Thanksgiving is November 26 this year, so the lighting lands on the Saturday after the holiday.
Friday, December 4, 6 to 9 p.m. First Friday: Cocoa & Carols on Fairfield Avenue.
The tree lighting is the only date on the avenue itself that doesn't fall on a First Friday, and its location is a guide to the rest of the season. St. John's is at 520 Fairfield, in the middle of the stretch InVue uses for First Fridays.
Last year's version shows how the season can stretch out from that point. In 2025, the city's Christmas Walk ran Friday and Saturday, November 28 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturday evening, a Snow Plow & Santa Parade went from The Party Source to St. John's. After that came photos with Santa, a fake snowball fight, a free hot cocoa and mint tea bar, and the tree lighting at 6:30 p.m., with the St. John Choir singing. The 2025 walk also had a "Jingle All the Way Passport." Shoppers picked it up at participating InVue businesses, collected stamps along the route, and turned it in at Frame & Hang Studio Gallery by December 22 for drawings on December 23. The city's page added a warning that "the Elves of Accountability are definitely watching."
Walking The Avenue By The Hundreds
First Fridays fill the 200 to 700 blocks, so the easiest way to plan a holiday evening is block by block. Every name below comes from InVue's current shopping and dining directories.
The 200 block
The avenue starts with Ape Made It, a women's boutique at 200, and Three Spirits Tavern at 209. InVue lists Three Spirits as an official B-Line stop with bourbon, wine, a full bar and a covered patio. Darkness Brewing is at 224, Tulum Kitchen + Bar + Patio at 225, and Petal and Stem Floral at 229.
The 300 block
The 300 block is the densest stretch for shopping. Adnil Boutique at 301 sells new and curated pre-owned clothing. Oracle Antiques & Vintage is at 305, Slow Ride Vintage at 307, Splendid Things at 312 with gifts, home decor and women's fashion, and Le Sorelle Boutique at 341, which describes itself as a "Unique Gift Shop & More!" Cleves & Lonnemann is also in the shopping directory, at 319. Food is close by. Avenue Brew at 310 serves coffee, breakfast and lunch. Bellevue Bistro at 313 does breakfast, lunch and brunch. Breadsmith at 315 bakes hearth-baked and artisan breads and sweets, which makes it a natural stop when you're bringing something to a holiday table. Mrs. Teapots Tea Room & Eatery at 339 is under new ownership with a new menu and serves high tea and lunch. Fesslers Legendary Pizza is at 343.
The 400 block
The 400 block holds the gift shops and the passport's 2025 turn-in point. Coda Co. is at 400. Frame & Hang Studio Gallery at 401 sells local artwork and does custom framing. Seasonal Bliss at 404 carries home and garden decor and runs pop-ups away from the store, and The Lavender Trail at 417 sells boutique items and gifts. Kentucky Botanical Co. at 406 sells Kentucky-grown organic hemp products. The Pretzel Place at 411 makes lunch and party platters. Across the street, Schneider's Sweet Shop at 420 calls itself a "Bellevue Tradition!" for candy, ice cream and ice balls.
Vine & Rind is at 421, listed for charcuterie, lunch and wine. LINK nky covered its soft opening in December 2025, and its grand-opening ribbon cutting was on August 7, 2026. According to its website, it offers charcuterie boards, a Friday fondue experience, and wine and cheese tastings you can book.
The 500 block and beyond
Past St. John's, Siam Orchid is at 511, Prost Tavern at 615, and Cork n Crust at 710, near the far end of the First Friday stretch.
The Avenue The City Is Planning For
The district started as a holiday event and is now part of the everyday routine, and the city's latest paperwork points to more people on the avenue. The October 14, 2026 council packet included a resolution asking the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to raise the number of quota retail package licenses allowed in Bellevue from four to seven. The resolution's reasoning cites about 200 new living units, a public parking garage, and commercial and retail space planned along Fairfield Avenue over the next several years. The same agenda included a memorandum of agreement for a $25,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund award for O'Fallon Recreation, covering a renovated picnic area, walking paths, signage, fencing and playground surfacing.
Council's next regular meeting is Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Callahan Community Center, 616 Poplar Street. That falls between the November 6 First Friday and the November 28 tree lighting.
Rebecca Weber pays attention to how a commercial street like Fairfield Avenue ties into the historic homes on the blocks behind it, because that's part of what she helps buyers and sellers in Bellevue understand. If the plans along the avenue have you thinking about what they mean for a house a few streets away, Rebecca Weber is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
