The city of Porto, Portugal, has introduced tougher measures to crack down on late-night street drinking. As of 25 June, the sale of spirits and alcohol in supermarkets, wine cellars, convenience stores, and souvenir shops is banned between 9:00 pm and 8:00 am within the city’s ‘containment zone’.
This is the third amendment to a law passed on 1 March 2023. The latest update, published in the Diário da República, not only proposes harsher sanctions for establishments that break the rules but also extends the boundaries of the so-called containment zone.
Street drinking gathering has gained popularity in Portugal, particularly among young people. Porto residents, however, have shown little appreciation for the trend, prompting city officials to introduce stricter controls.
The ban does not cover the entire city but focuses on Porto’s so-called containment zone. This area includes most of the city centre and nearly all of downtown Porto, home to popular nightspots and clubs such as the famous Rua da Galeria de Paris.
For now, the sanctions target establishments rather than individuals, meaning those who choose to drink in licensed venues will not be affected. Tourists and party-goers need not fear this marks the end of Porto’s vibrant nightlife or the beginning of underground alternatives, as the ban does not apply to cafés, bars, restaurants, or nightclubs, all of which are still permitted to sell alcohol throughout the night. The restriction applies solely to street consumption within certain zones in the city.
City councillor for Economic Activities, Filipa Correia Pinto, justified the decision, stating, ‘This is our conviction that this [street drinking gathering] phenomenon in several parts of the city is causing harm and having an impact on urban security.’ She also promised ‘very strict’ inspections and ‘heavy’ sanctions.
As part of the new measures, authorities now have the power to order the immediate closure of establishments that fail to comply.
Some fear the new rules might take away a bit of the city’s charm, while others question how effective the measures will actually be.
Porto’s mayor, Rui Moreira, argued for harsher penalties after seeing that previous fines had little impact. ‘What we noticed is that the successive application of fines did not dissuade economic agents from continuing to violate the rules, because paying the fine was worth it, because the fines were low,’ he said.
While some locals hope the new rules will bring a bit of nighttime peace, representatives of the nightlife industry remain doubtful. Ricardo Tavares, president of Porto’s Movida Association of Bars and Discotheques, told Lusa news agency that the measures ‘lacked wisdom’ and may not solve the problem.
Targeting businesses is unlikely to have the desired effect and stop street drinking as people can simply buy their drinks earlier in the day. All it takes is a bit more planning. Camões is of the opinion that a more effective solution would be to ban people from consuming alcohol in public places, rather than focusing on restricting sales hours.
Porto is not alone in tackling the issue. In 2024, Milan introduced a ban on the sale of pizza, ice cream, and drinks after midnight in its busiest areas, responding to long-standing complaints from locals about excessive nighttime noise.
