Nightly ban on alcohol in Monbijoupark and James-Simon-Park

Trash lies on a lawn in James-Simon-Park in the morning.

After several parties in parks in Berlin-Mitte have turned into excess, an alcohol ban will apply in those parks in the future.

From this Friday, no alcohol may be carried in James-Simon-Park and in Monbijoupark between 10 pm and 6 am, the district office announced on Thursday. This ban is valid until September 11, 2022. The district justified its decision with "excessive parties" that had occurred there in recent weeks. Only last weekend, the police had cleared James-Simon-Park after about 250 people had come there to party.

Several police operations in Berlin parks over the weekend

The police had described the atmosphere as heated and loud. Individual groups had repeatedly set off pyrotechnics. Police also had to intervene in Volkspark Friedrichshain and Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg. On the previous weekends, there had also been police deployments because of similar incidents. From the district's point of view, alcohol consumption is a "main catalyst" for such misdemeanor.

Preservation of the parks' recreational and ecological value

Last weekend, the district mayor of Mitte, Stephan von Dassel (Green Party), had already announced an alcohol ban. The district sees the recreational function and the ecological value of the parks becoming limited by the fact that groups meet there to drink in excess: "The vegetation is damaged, especially by wild urination, the park is heavily littered in the morning, broken glass makes it dangerous to use the lawns, and there is massive noise pollution at night." District officials base the alcohol ban on the Berlin Green Spaces Act.

Demand for concepts for parks and green spaces

Last year, the district of Mitte had also intervened and imposed restrictions for visitors of James-Simon-Park. At that time, due to pandemic-related closures of bars and clubs, thousands of people had repeatedly come to the parks for parties. Several violent confrontations occurred between partygoers and police officers. In view of this development, the Police Union (GdP) had called for "individual concepts for parks and green spaces." The respective districts are responsible for the parks. The Senate Department for the Interior does not want to change this.

"Model park regulations" in discussion

Nevertheless, a substantive line is being sought. It is a matter of working out an infrastructure in cooperation with the districts, explained State Secretary for the Interior Thorsten Akmann on Thursday. He believes a "model parking regulation" is to be compiled, which could then be implement by each district.