Alcohol Sales Will Stop at 11 p.m. New Year’s Eve

If you were hoping to ring in 2021 with a toast, it won’t happen at any Oxford restaurant or bar this New Year’s Eve – or at any establishment in Mississippi.

According to Gov. Tate Reeve latest executive order, alcohol sales must end at 11 p.m.

On Monday, the city of Oxford put out a statement on its social media pages that city officials had received phone calls asking that bar and restaurant hours be extended for New Year’s Eve.

The city said that a call to Reeves’ office confirmed that the Governor had no plans to extend the hours for alcohol sales on New Year’s Eve.

By state statute, the city of Oxford – or any municipality, does not have the authority to be more lenient than a governor’s order.

Last week, the Oxford Board of Aldermen did extend alcohol sales by two hours for Feb. 7 – Super Bowl Sunday –until 11 p.m. In Oxford, alcohol sales must cease at 9 p.m. on Sundays unless otherwise mandated by the Board. However, the change was still in compliance with Reeves’ Executive Order.