The local authorities decide whether alcohol can be consumed on the street or in other public places in a given locality in the Netherlands.
Provisions regarding any ban on drinking alcohol on the street and in other public places can be found in the municipal codes of Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening, which contain the regulations of individual local governments.
When it comes to large Dutch cities, many of them have a complete ban on drinking alcohol in certain districts and blocks of streets. This also means that you cannot have an open bottle or can of alcohol or, for example, a glass or a tumbler of an alcoholic beverage on you.
In the area covered by the ban, it applies not only on the street, but also in parks, pavements, apartment stairs and gates located in this area. However, it does not apply, for example, in beer gardens in front of restaurants, pubs and cafes that have a permit to sell and serve alcohol.
Detailed information on whether a particular municipality has a ban on drinking alcohol in public places can be found on the municipality’s or city’s website. You can search for “alcoholverbod” (alcohol ban). However, this should not be confused with “alcoholverkoopverbod” (alcohol sales ban).