photograph by Christopher Coats

Chalk one up for the quiet and calm adults.

The long-treasured Spanish pre-party tradition of the Botellón is a step closer to death. The Botellón—the practice of buying a whole bottle of booze and some mixers and searching out a plaza or street corner to set up shop with friends—has been a favored way to share a few cheap drinks before hitting the pricier clubs and bars of Granada, Seville, and Madrid.

With public drinking comes noise, and the Botellón circuit has attracted no shortage of complaints from annoyed neighbors. In university towns like Granada and Malaga, the weekly Botellón became so huge that city halls could ignore critics no longer. The result? A wave of new laws designed to curb street drinking has come into effect this year.

So, despite massive protests—30,000 strong in Granada, for one example—cities across Spain started cracking down on the gatherings, doling out tickets and fines across the country.

Though beaten, the Botellón is not completely dead. Some cities are designating certain zones as acceptable for the gathering of spirits.

This spring and summer, remember to check with locals before cracking open a bottle in your favorite plaza.

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