CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - In response to a new law signed by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, the City of Cambridge is permitting some bars to let their customers take alcohol to-go, as well as launch open container districts that allow drinking outside.
The City said the License Commission authorized “…the sale of alcohol-to-go for permitted businesses within designated open container districts/public consumption zones and a maximum one-hour extension of alcohol operating sales for approved bars and restaurants that are not to exceed 3 a.m. through July 31, 2026.”
The designated districts include areas of Central Square, Kendall Square, Harvard Square, Inman Square, lower Massachusetts Avenue, and Porter Square/North Massachusetts Avenue. The City said authorized hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day through July 31, 2026. The last to-go service will occur at 10:45 p.m.
Bars approved by the License Commission must put to-go drinks in plastic cups, and drinkers need to wear bright wristbands to signal that their identification been verified.
A bar employee told 7NEWS that it been slow so far, but some customers have been asking for a service such as this one for a while.
“It’s definitely an exciting opportunity. I mean it’s definitely a new thing for Cambridge and Boston in and of itself. I’ve been working here for about two years and we’ve gotten a few questions in the past like, ‘can I take stuff to go?'” said an employee at Grafton Street Pub and Grill. “So far it seems like people have been bar-hopping more than taking drinks to go. Again, the weather today is not really super conducive to that, and I feel like since we haven’t had public consumption it’s going to take a little bit more time for the word to get out.”
The state implemented the new law to support all of the major events being hosted in Boston this year, including the World Cup, the 250th anniversary of the United States on the Fourth of July, and Sail Boston.
The City of Boston will have two social districts opening Friday through the end of July; one at Blackstone Block Historic District, and the second at Temple Place in Downtown Crossing.
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