Hard-partying Puerto Rico capital faces new code that will limit alcohol sales

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s capital is renowned for its all-night partying, but a new municipal code is expected to change that.

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero on Tuesday signed a new measure to prohibit alcohol sales after certain hours, saying he was “morally convinced” it was the right thing to do.

The new code, scheduled to go into effect in November, is expected to affect hundreds of restaurants and bars across San Juan. It was fiercely debated in recent months, with businesses and Puerto Ricans used to long nights and decades of no oversight decrying the new rules, which do not apply to hotels and their guests.

“The impression of San Juan is that anything goes,” said Reinaldo Segurola, 71. “It’s a mix between Disney and Las Vegas.”

Throngs of people with drinks in hand often crowd the narrow streets of Old San Juan, where businesses are known to remain open until 5 a.m. to serve the last stragglers, and the party often moves to the renowned seaside community of La Perla, where revelers welcome the sunrise.

A similar scene plays out in other areas of San Juan, including Loiza Street and La Placita de Santurce, a market square where businesses bustle and music thumps until dawn.

Under the new code, businesses in San Juan can only serve or sell alcohol from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and up to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday if Monday is a holiday.