You could still be fined 95 euros for drinking by either the southern playground, or northern pond, though
The Groningen city council has decided to not crack down on drinkers in the Noorderplantsoen park in Groningen, which is very popular with students. The municipality wanted to completely ban any drinking of alcohol there, reportedly because drunken visitors caused nuisance to local residents. The plan was met by protests from student organisations, amongst others.
The city council decided that the ban will remain in force at the pond and the southern playground; and will be enforced there. Consuming alcohol can result in a fine of 95 euros. In other places in the Noorderplantsoen, there must be quiet at 23:00. As reported by the GIC.
There had been an alcohol ban in the park for years, but the consumption of a beer or wine was tolerated. Mayor Koen Schuiling had previously announced that he wanted to tackle drinking alcohol in the park from 1 July, because in his opinion it caused a lot of inconvenience. That intention met with a lot of resistance.
Out of dissatisfaction with the plan, a protest was announced on Tuesday: more than a thousand people were going to drink a crate of beer in the Noorderplantsoen in protest.
