Getty Are liquor stores open today?
If you’re wanting to visit a liquor store on Christmas 2020, whether you can go depends on the laws in your state. Some liquor stores can’t operate on the holiday. Other states will allow liquor stores to be open today. Still others may be affected by pandemic regulations. Read on for more details.
Some Liquor Stores Are Open for Christmas, But Many Are Not
In general, if liquor sales are state-controlled, then there’s a chance those liquor stores could be closed for Christmas unless otherwise indicated below. If the stores in a state are privately owned and not state-controlled, then the stores are more likely to be open and it’s up to the owner if they operate today or not (unless local laws interfere.) Your best bet is to call your local liquor store and ask if they are open today or not. Many of these details below are provided by Legal Beer, VinePair, or are from Wikipedia’s detailed page on alcohol laws here.
Below is a list of rules about liquor laws on Christmas in each state. You should still call your local store, as the pandemic may change how things run today and some places are closing early on Christmas Eve, even though they can be open. The listings below do not include pandemic laws regarding the closures of bars or alcohol establishments unless it specifically states so.
- Alabama – Some counties don’t allow the sale of alcohol at all, and stores can’t sell until noon on Sunday. Privately-owned liquor stores tend to be open on public holidays, while state-owned stores are closed. But according to their website, ABC stores are all closed on Christmas but open on Christmas Eve.
- Alaska – No specific holiday restrictions.
- Arizona – Alcohol is not state-controlled so there are no specific restrictions.
- Arkansas – Note that about 39 out of 75 counties in Arkansas are dry and prohibit alcohol sales completely. Alcohol sales are banned on Christmas but not Christmas Eve. (But note that the same isn’t true for New Year’s or NYE, Thanksgiving Day, Labor Day or other major holidays.) Shamrock Liquor, for example, closes at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve and is closed Christmas Day.
- California – No statewide holiday restrictions.
- Colorado – Closed on Christmas. (Not sold in grocery stores either, but available at restaurants.)
- Connecticut – Closed on Christmas and New Year’s and Thanksgiving. Connecticut law reads: “The sale or dispensing of alcoholic liquor in places operating under package store permits, drug store permits, manufacturer permits for beer, manufacturer permits for beer and brew pubs, manufacturer permits for a farm brewery, manufacturer permits for farm distilleries or grocery store beer permits shall be unlawful on Thanksgiving Day, New Year’s Day or Christmas.”
- D.C. – Sales aren’t state-controlled.
- Delaware – Sales aren’t state-controlled. But liquor still can’t be sold on Sundays, Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas.
- Florida – Sales aren’t state-controlled. Stores may be open, but call to check.
- Georgia – Sales aren’t state-controlled, but some counties don’t allow liquor sales on Christmas anyway. Call to check.
- Hawaii – Sales aren’t state-controlled so stores may be open, but call to check
- Idaho – Closed on Christmas. Spirit sales are state-controlled. Sales are prohibited on Memorial Day, Sundays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. But individual counties can allow sale by the drink. (Beer and wine can be sold.)
- Illinois – No statewide restrictions. Decisions are made by counties or municipalities.
- Indiana – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so yes stores are allowed to be open if they wish. Call to check.
- Iowa – Sales are state-controlled, but Iowa has allowed holiday sales in the past, so you’ll want to call your local liquor store about Christmas Eve & Day hours. For example, Bancroft Liquor Store is open until 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed Christmas Day.
- Kansas – Closed on Christmas. It’s not state-controlled, but sales are prohibited on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
- Kentucky – Sales are not state-controlled. But some laws on holiday sales may vary city-to-city. Corn Silk Liquors, for example, is open on Christmas Eve until 4 p.m. but closed on Christmas Day.
- Louisiana – Sales aren’t state-controlled, but some parishes limit Christmas sales. Call to check.
- Maine – Sales aren’t state-controlled so stores can be open if they wish. Call to check.
- Maryland – Sales aren’t state-controlled. But some local municipalities may have holiday sales rules. Call to check.
- Massachusetts – Sales aren’t state-controlled but liquor stores must still be closed on Christmas. In Montgomery County, you can see all the ABS store hours for today here, including that stores are closing at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
- Michigan – Some sales are state-controlled, but holiday hours are only enforced on New Year’s Day and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Alcoholic beverages shouldn’t be sold between midnight December 24 and 12 p.m. noon on December 25. Call your local store for details.
- Minnesota – Closed on Christmas and Christmas Eve after 8 p.m. Sales aren’t state-controlled. But sales are restricted on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving. Call to check.
- Mississippi — Sales aren’t state-controlled. But sales aren’t allowed on Christmas. There are set hours for New Year’s Eve and Day.
- Missouri – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so local stores can be open if they wish. Call to check.
- Montana – Some sales are state-controlled. Montana requires state agency franchise liquor stores to be closed on Labor Day, New Year’s Day, MLK, President’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Call to check.
- Nebraska – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so local stores can be open if they wish. Call to check.
- Nevada – Sales aren’t state-controlled, so local stores can be open if they wish. Call to check.
- New Hampshire – Liquor is sold in government-run stores. State-run stores are not open on Christmas. The New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet says it is closed on Christmas.
- New Jersey – No statewide restrictions, but there are dry communities, so call first.
- New Mexico – Closed on Christmas. Sales aren’t state-controlled, but it’s still closed. You can drink in a bar or restaurant though because it’s takeaway liquor that’s banned.
- New York – Many locations in the state are closed on Christmas, including in New York City. So call ahead.
- North Carolina – The state statute requires that stores be closed on Sundays and most holidays, which includes Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving. Sales are state-controlled. No ABC store can be open.
- North Dakota: No statewide restrictions. But sales are limited on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Christmas Eve. So stores close early on Christmas Eve (at 6 p.m.) and are closed on Christmas Day.
- Ohio – No sales on Christmas.
- Oklahoma – Closed on Christmas. No statewide restrictions, but alcohol sales are forbidden on Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Christmas.
- Oregon – Stores have the option of being open on all state holidays including Christmas, so call first. For example, Rose City Liquor is open until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.
- Pennsylvania – Any Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board store is closed on Christmas. Stores can be open Christmas Eve until 6 p.m.
- Rhode Island – No statewide restrictions. So call first.
- South Carolina – Closed on Christmas, even though it’s not state-controlled. The law makes it unlawful to sell alcoholic liquor on Christmas Day, Sundays (except as authorized by law), or during periods as declared by the Governor.
- South Dakota – Typically closed on Christmas for liquor sales, but beer and wine are fine. Not state-controlled. As a note, South Dakota law does state: “If the establishment holds an on/off sale malt beverage license in addition to their on sale liquor license, under state law they may sell malt beverages on Memorial Day and Christmas Day. Local ordinances may be more restrictive.”
- Tennessee – Closed on Christmas. Sales aren’t state-controlled. But liquor sales still aren’t allowed on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Businesses can’t “sell or give away any alcoholic beverages” on New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- Texas – Closed on Christmas. Sales aren’t state-controlled. But liquor stores still aren’t allowed to be open on Christmas or New Year’s or Thanksgiving.
- Utah – State stores closed on Christmas. Alcohol greater than 4% is sold in state-controlled stores only.
- Vermont – Spirit sales are controlled by the state, according to Legal Beer. But liquor stores can be open. Call about hours first.
- Virginia – Sales are state-controlled. For the first time two years ago, liquor stores were open on New Year’s Day in 2019. The state-run stores (all Virginia ABC stores) are closed on Christmas Day and will close at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
- Washington – Sales are state-controlled. But VinePair says that stores can be open. Call first.
- West Virginia – Sales are state-controlled. Closed on Christmas. But this doesn’t apply to beer and wine sales.
- Wisconsin – Sales aren’t state-controlled, but call first.
- Wyoming — Sales are state-controlled but some stores are open. Call first.
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