Beach Beers Are Extinct, But You Can Still (Legally) Crack Open a Cold One at these San Diego Parks

A surefire way to get regular San Diegans to pay attention to local politics is to float a policy about what they can and can’t do on the beach (see: beach yoga ban). 

Before short-term vacation rentals and street vendors, there were drunk people vexing the minds of coastal homeowners.  

The beef inspired a years-long battle to ban alcohol at local beaches and parks. Partiers and beverage enjoyers killed numerous attempts to pass one before the prohibitionists prevailed in 2008. 

What you might not know is that the law spared a handful of local parks. With Fourth of July around the corner, we thought we’d compile a map of all the San Diego parks where you can still drink during the day — no brown paper bag required. 

The Road to Beach Prohibition 

The saga began in 1990, when at an infamously rowdy meeting, San Diego’s City Council rejected a proposal to ban booze on city beaches. Among the bans’ opponents at the time were the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club, the San Diego Symphony and the organizers of the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Balboa Park. 

A ban enacted in 1991 was also suspended just 17 hours after taking effect when 45,000 signatures opposing the ordinance were submitted to the City Clerk’s office. 

The City Council supported a more limited ban in some beach areas in 2002, but a referendum backed by local alcohol retailers killed it by year’s end. Still, the public discussion charged on, largely due to the political ambitions of current Board of Supervisors candidate and then-councilmember Kevin Faulconer. 

He opposed a ban but formed a task force on the issue. It punted on an all-out ban in mid-2007.  The issue was all but dead (again). So, what brought the ban back from the ashes?  

A group of sunburnt, juiced up, holiday weekend beachgoers. 

Just months after the task force’s decision, a rowdy, booze-fueled melee on Labor Day descended further into chaos when police clad in riot gear arrived to break things up. 

 Bottles were thrown, footage was circulated and opinions were swayed. 

Faulconer sprang into action, calling a press conference where he reversed course and announced his support of a full ban.  

And so it was. 

The City Council passed a temporary ban later that year, and in 2008, after nearly two decades of being asked, voters approved a permanent ban by a five-point margin. In the years since the ban’s passage, the City Council has chipped away some of the initial exceptions, leaving booze unwelcome at all of San Diego’s beaches.  

Still, there are a handful of city parks where San Diegans can post up, lean back and crack open a cold one. Happy Fourth of July. 

Where You Can Drink Citywide 

Over the years, some well-known drinking spots, like Pacific Beach’s Kate O. Sessions Memorial Park, have banned booze. Still, aside from Balboa Park, alcohol is permitted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 19 San Diego parks.  

Where You Can Drink in Balboa Park 

San Diego’s crown jewel is no stranger to booze. There are a whopping nine lawns where visitors can drink alcohol. Unlike other city parks, however, drinking is only allowed from noon to 8 p.m.