Drinking Prohibited On The Walkway & On The Beach
It may seem hard to fathom when you look around and there’s thousands of people walking and riding bikes with beverages in hand, playing volleyball and games on the beach next to coolers and a seemingly endless line of house parties.
But there’s no alcohol allowed on The Strand and the beach in Hermosa Beach, CA. And especially on the 4th of July, the biggest party event of the year in the South Bay.
To enforce this policy, Hermosa Beach hires extra police officers, brings in officers from the Sheriff’s Dept. (on horseback, no less) and even sets up a “command post” on 2nd Street that has a drunk tank.
Generally speaking, the cops are pretty friendly and don’t want to make any arrests. So you pretty much have to do something foolish or be a fool in order to get a ticket (or worse). The police are especially on the lookout for underage drinkers (this is the biggest problem they face, as the teenagers’ parents are cutting loose at house parties).
Fines start at $300 and arrests are possible, so it’s best to do your drinking in the bars or at a house party if you are invited to one of the many that takes place on The Strand and on the side streets.
By the way, don’t try and crash one of those house parties. This can prompt the hosts to call the police and failure to leave in a prompt and quiet manner is a good way to get arrested on the 4th of July in Hermosa Beach.
But back to the drinking on The Strand. And on the beach for that matter.
Yes, you will see people drinking liquids out of Gatorade or other bottles, coffee shop cups, etc. And more than likely, those containers contain alcohol. That’s okay, at least as long as you are not falling down drunk, picking fights or doing other things to attract attention to yourself. Be fun but be discreet.
Some people have the red Solo cups; PubClub.com advises against this because everyone knows what’s in them, tho you’ll likely be left alone if you’re simply walking down The Strand soaking in the scene. At worse, you’ll be forced to pour it out of you get stopped.
Drinking out of beer cans and bottles is certainly something you shouldn’t do because you force the police into taking action against you.
So the policy is you can’t drink alcohol on The Strand (or on the beach). In reality, if you are are discreet and keep your drinks in a concealed container and just have fun without being drunk or obnoxious, you’re not likely to get a ticket.
Still, know the possibility exists and judge accordingly.
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