Nearly two decades have passed since London's Underground network hosted its final legal booze-fuelled journey, an event marked by a legendary send-off party that descended into chaos. On 1 June 2008, a ban on consuming alcohol across Transport for London (TfL) services came into force, a policy spearheaded by the newly elected Mayor, Boris Johnson.
The Final Fiesta: Chaos on the Circle Line
What began as a Facebook event invitation spiralled into an unprecedented night of revelry on the eve of the ban. On 31 May 2008, tens of thousands of revellers descended upon the Tube, with the Circle and Metropolitan lines around Liverpool Street station becoming the epicentre of the festivities. Party-goers, clad in fancy dress and armed with cans and bottles, turned carriages into moving pubs for one last time.
The scale of the event overwhelmed authorities. The night culminated in 17 arrests and the closure of six stations due to severe overcrowding and antisocial behaviour. Photographs from the time show streets and platforms littered with debris, a testament to the scale of the unofficial farewell party. Organiser James Darling had urged responsible drinking, but the sheer numbers made control impossible.
Controversy and Lasting Opposition
Boris Johnson's announcement of the ban on 7 May 2008 was met with immediate resistance and debate. Critics argued it was a paternalistic overreach. Transport unions voiced strong opposition, concerned for staff safety and angry at a lack of consultation. In the months following the ban, protests continued, including a symbolic picnic in Hyde Park organised by campaigners decrying the "creeping" spread of alcohol-free zones.
The medical community was also divided. While a 2008 British Medical Journal article rejected calls for nationwide bans, favouring alternative measures like price hikes, the debate shifted. By 2010, some doctors were advocating for broader prohibitions on public transport to protect passengers from drunken nuisance.
A Ban That Stuck: The Legacy of 'Last Orders'
Despite the initial furore, the ban has remained firmly in place. TfL's current Conditions of Carriage, effective from 7 March 2025, explicitly prohibit consuming alcohol or carrying open containers on all its services. Enforcement data from 2010/11 showed 1,192 arrests for alcohol-related offences, though TfL clarifies that drinking itself is a civil offence, with arrests typically linked to subsequent public order breaches.
The rule has tripped up even politicians. In 2019, Labour MP Diane Abbott publicly apologised after being photographed sipping a canned mojito on the Tube. The infamous 'Last Orders' party of 2008 now stands as a vivid historical bookmark, the final raucous chapter before a permanent change in the culture of London's travel.
