King’s Night and Day in Utrecht are just around the corner. The stages and beer taps at the event locations are as good as ready. Traditionally, many visitors are expected to come and have a beer while walking through the streets. However, the municipality is warning this week about fines, but will they actually be handed out?
The short answer: the chance of a fine seems quite small, for example, last year no fine was issued for consuming alcohol based on the APV – a list of municipal rules.
The mayor has also previously said that fines for violating the alcohol ban will only be given for excesses. But why all those warnings from the municipality this week, via text carts in the city?
Several parties in the municipal council are also wondering about this. D66, VVD, Volt, Student & Starter, Horizon and UtrechtNu! have therefore requested clarification from the Municipal Executive.
‘Scare’
“In recent days, large text carts, in the run-up to King’s Day, have warned of fines for violating the alcohol ban in the APV (Article 2:28). This gives the impression that enforcement will be imposed on all possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages in public spaces in the designated areas,” the parties write.
They want to know from the Municipal Executive whether or not enforcement will take place, if someone only drinks a beer and on the basis of what legal means. If, like last year, there is no enforcement, or only in the event of excesses, the parties believe that the warnings are unnecessary. “Does the council agree with the petitioners that visitors to King’s Day in Utrecht should be able to enjoy the festivities without any worries, and that deterring them with a rule from the APV is undesirable?”
The questions will probably not be answered before the festivities. The council has several weeks to respond to written questions.
