You might be surprised to learn that many people in public parks are not, in fact, drinking water out of their water bottles or La Croix out of their La Croix cans.
Also, drinking in public is not allowed in much of Europe. Don’t go there and assume it is.
There are also many US locations and parks where alcohol is allowed.
> Also, drinking in public is not allowed in much of Europe. Don’t go there and assume it is.
I live and have traveled a lot around Europe, and have never ran into that rule, but have almost always seen people drinking alcohol in public parks. From what I could find online it's only Norway, Ireland, and perhaps Poland, plus a few places in cities in other countries (Vienna, Milan, Barcelona, Riga...) which is far from "much of Europe".
Drinking in public here in Romania might get you fined, and for sure you’ll be viewed by those around you on the street as either a known-nothing tourist or a degenerate drunkard, or both.
That's only a few people. The culture where there's literally a throng of hundreds of people sitting and drinking in the park on any random Satuday afternoon is very much a European thing.
Edit: Wikipedia page on drinking in public:
"In some countries, such as Norway,[1] Poland,[2] India and Sri Lanka[3][non-tertiary source needed], some states in the United States,[4] as well as Muslim-majority countries where alcohol is legal, public drinking is almost universally condemned or outlawed, while in other countries, such as Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Germany,[5][6] the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Japan, Finland, and China, public drinking is socially acceptable."
Poland lives in the era of fight against pathological alcoholism. With the advent of modern heavy machinery like forklifts (as opposed to truck beds and strong arms and backs), many workplaces became hostile towards alcohol where previously alcohol was just part of workplace culture. This lead to a huge fallout of people who either became functional alcoholic outside of work or became jobless and miserable.
Despite often being against the rules this is absolutely a thing all over Chicago during the warmer months.
Boozy picnics at the beaches, wine in plastic cups at the parks, etc. And fully sanctioned alcohol at the dozens of neighborhood street fests held throughout the year.
And it’s also a thing in suburbia, where backyard coolers full of beer are common at weekend gatherings.
It is definitely a thing here in Louisiana. Drinking in public or while driving is a proud tradition.
Take a trip to New Orleans for the extreme end of it, but we have drive-through Daiquiri shops all over and at least half of the people I grew up with have at least one DUI and I've never thought twice about being outside with a drink in my hand, as rarely as I do drink (I do refuse to drink and drive and am constantly lecturing others about it out here)
where is it illegal in Europe? I've not encountered this yet and I've lived here my whole life. It's always struck me as a weird puritanical American thing
Looked online and found maps suggesting eastern Europe has more laws relating to it, although many of them in practice don't apply
Russians drink anywhere and everywhere. Including cops themselves. Polish and Slovaks too. Ukraine has war related prohibition, other then that? Where exactly eastern is it not allowed (or not completely normalized to the point locals would be surprised there is such law)?
Maybe they just don't follow that law, but public drinking is apparently illegal in Poland, Romania, even some cities in Slovakia apparently. Supposedly the police in Poland take a strict approach? (See wiki article "Drinking in public / By country")
Which "eastern parts"? I've never seen that rule here, but have seen people drinking in public. Do you know that or are you just asking AI to confirm your biases?
Well, at least the Finnish laws against it aren't enforced at all and public drinking is very common. Judging by what I've seen, it seems to be the case in Sweden too.
Replace alcohol with whatever is more culturally appropriate and you can definitely include a strict superset of europe in the statement where it definitely happens. The thing discussed is hanging out, not alcohol.
I would be more concerned about lack of accessible public spaces.
I live in the Midwest US. The city government sponsors floating (as in they move around, not that they're in water) beer gardens across public parks in the summer, and our local Lutheran and Catholic churches will run outdoor beer gardens and barbecues as a way to enjoy the nice weather and bring in a little money. The various state fairs also sell beer, and a local outdoor, public music festival goes through a staggering amount of alcohol consumed in public.
People are out in public, often with the authorities around, drinking beer and mixed drinks out of clear plastic cups (usually) and nobody cares. It's just a summer thing.
* Drinking in public is illegal (strictly enforced)
* Drinking in public is illegal (give cops discretion to arrest intoxicated troublemakers who are hollering, pestering people, or otherwise engaging in mild antisocial behavior)
We’re also talking about our perception of the law here, not the actual thing. So, the third case might include people that are worried (justifiable or both) that they’ll be more likely to get the bad side of that discretion.
Barton Springs in Austin is always brimming with people and Shiner Bock makes a frequent appearance.
Dolores Park in SF never has a dull moment and you can buy shrooms or edibles from vendors walking around.
Golden Gate Park in SF is massive and there are tons of clusters of people socializing and drinking throughout the park (especially near the Conservatory of Flowers!)
Central Park in NY in many ways mirrors Golden Gate Park only its way busier. Good luck finding a spot near the south side of the park on a sunny day. You might spot a mimosa or two, three…
