What Brits need to know before holiday as Spanish islands make booze ban between 9:30pm and 8am

As well as basking in the sunshine, which is more than scarce in the UK, a lot of people look forward to sinking a few sangrias, drinking the bar dry and having a late night booze on the beach when they head off on holiday.

But if you're heading to Spain's Balearic Islands for a trip this summer, you ought to brush up on the new rules surrounding alcohol consumption before you start cracking open a few cans willy-nilly.

The government have decided to up the ante amid the crackdown on drunk tourists and have announced that the sale of alcohol will now be banned overnight - while party boats are also in the firing line.

The holiday hotspot beloved by Brits, which is situated in the Mediterranean Sea, has tightened up the already-tough laws surrounding street drinking and has forbidden places from selling booze between 9.30pm and 8am the next day.

The restrictions - which will be rolled out across popular spots across four tourist areas in Majorca and Ibiza - are set to remain in force until December 2027, although politicians could extend it further if they deem it necessary.

In Ibiza, the ban is in place in Sant Antoni, while it impacts Llucmajor, Palma and Calvia in Majorca - which are all locations where officials reckon there is excessive tourism.

Party boats are also forbidden from coming within a mile of any of the aforementioned destinations, meaning they aren't even able to pick holidaymakers up or drop them off in the regions.

The Balearic Islands are cracking down further on boozy tourists (Getty Stock Photos)

This is obviously very important information to take heed of before you hop on a plane and blame officials on the Balearic Islands for scuppering your holiday plans, so take note - or otherwise, the consequences could hit your wallet.

The Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martinez, has made it clear they aren't taking any prisoners when it comes to enforcing the rules and that tourists will be penalised as they crack down on 'uncivil' attitudes in his city.

As a result, fines of €3,000 could be thrown at those who break the new Civic Ordinance ruling.

As well as this, holidaymakers caught boozing outside of authorised areas will be slapped with fines between €500-1,500, which is quite a high price to pay for sipping an alcoholic beverage on your walk back to the hotel.

The new rules will come into effect on 11 May (Getty Stock Photos)

The islands' Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzà, said the new measure is to encourage 'responsible tourism and to improve quality in tourist areas'.

Other measures brought in under the same ruling include a ban on graffiti, scooters, and nudism.

The laws come in to force from Saturday (11 May).

According to Luis Pomar, a press officer at the Balearic Islands tourism council, they have made the decision to go full throttle with the rules as the measures they introduced in 2020 to stamp out antisocial behaviour have been a success.

It is hoped that the overnight bans and other legislation can be lifted in time it is 'instilled in people how to behave'.

Average fines dished out to tourists will range from €750 to €1,500, with the €3,000 top limit reserved for the most serious breaches.

Topics: Travel, Alcohol, Food And Drink, World News, News, Holiday

Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

@livburke_