From outdoor festivals to impromptu picnics, Montrealers have been cracking beers in parks for years. However the guidelines round public ingesting are fuzzier than most individuals suppose.
The brief reply is sure, it is authorized… however solely in sure locations, and provided that you are consuming.
Permit us to clarify.
The essential rule
Organized gatherings apart, Quebec usually bans alcohol in public areas, however Montreal carves out exceptions for parks.
The catch: it is advisable be having a meal, and it is advisable be in a delegated space. Meaning picnic tables put in by the town, not simply any patch of grass.
The SPVM has been clear about this for years. “You’ll be able to’t simply take a case of beer and begin ingesting from morning to nighttime in a park, it is forbidden,” SPVM spokesperson André Durocher instructed Le Journal de Montréal again in 2020. That line hasn’t modified.
Based on Éducaloi, the rule applies to permitted areas solely. Exterior these zones, you are not within the clear no matter what’s in your plate.
What counts as a meal?
No person actually is aware of. And that is not an exaggeration.
The town and police do not outline what qualifies as a “meal” for the needs of public ingesting. Again in 2025, metropolis spokesperson Marc-Antoine Bélanger instructed MTL Weblog that definitions can differ borough to borough, and prompt checking with the related borough earlier than assuming you are lined.
Cheese and crackers? Most likely high quality. A granola bar? Pushing it. A bag of chips and a six-pack? Do not depend on it.
Your borough might need additional guidelines
Even for those who’re consuming and also you’re at a picnic desk, your borough could have added restrictions on prime of the town baseline. In Ahuntsic-Cartierville, for instance, alcohol is not allowed close to sports activities fields, splash pads, or playgrounds even throughout a meal. Nature parks throughout the town function below separate guidelines and are usually off-limits.
Neighbouring cities like Longueuil and Sherbrooke ban park drinking outright.
What occurs for those who break the principles?
A $100 fine is on the books for ingesting exterior permitted areas, and drunken loitering can run you $50. That mentioned, a primary response is often a warning slightly than a right away ticket.
The underside line
Consuming in a Montreal park is authorized if you are at a metropolis picnic desk, consuming an precise meal, holding issues civil, and skipping the glass containers.
When doubtful, flip your completely happy hour right into a tapas session. It will not damage your case.
Oh, and whereas it ought to go with out saying, do not go away your trash behind!