Yes, you can buy alcohol on Sundays in Massachusetts. Package stores can sell from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM, and bars and restaurants can serve from 10:00 AM until as late as 2:00 AM Monday morning. Those are the statewide ceilings. Your city or town can tighten them, and holidays that land on or near Sunday change the picture.
Package Store Hours on Sunday
Package stores, the off-premise retailers that sell beer, wine, and spirits to take home, can open at 10:00 AM on Sunday and stay open until 11:00 PM.1Mass.gov. ABCC Advisory on Package Store Sunday Opening Hours 10 AM The 11:00 PM closing is the same as any other day of the week; only the opening is pushed later on Sundays.2General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 15 – Licensing Authorizing Sale of Beverages Not to Be Drunk on Premises
One wrinkle: the hours actually permitted at any given store are the ones written on that store’s license by the local licensing authority. A shop that never updated its license to reflect the 10:00 AM Sunday start still runs on its older, stricter schedule.1Mass.gov. ABCC Advisory on Package Store Sunday Opening Hours 10 AM If a store you’re used to doesn’t open until later, that’s usually why.
Bar and Restaurant Hours on Sunday
Bars and restaurants can start serving at 10:00 AM on Sunday. The statute prohibits Sunday on-premise sales between 1:00 AM and 10:00 AM, so Saturday-night service ends at 1:00 AM Sunday, and Sunday service opens at 10:00 AM.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 33 – Sales and Delivery of Alcoholic Beverages on Election Days, Sundays and Legal Holidays
Sunday-night closing follows the regular weekday rule. No sales between 2:00 AM and 8:00 AM on any day, meaning a bar can serve until 2:00 AM Monday morning if its license allows.4General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 12
One narrow exception worth knowing: tavern license holders cannot sell alcohol on Sundays at all. Most Massachusetts bars operate under a standard restaurant or club license and are unaffected, but a small number still hold the older tavern license and are closed for alcohol service on Sunday.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 33 – Sales and Delivery of Alcoholic Beverages on Election Days, Sundays and Legal Holidays
What Happens When a Holiday Falls on Sunday
Three holidays change the Sunday rules: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Memorial Day.
Package stores cannot sell alcohol at all on Thanksgiving or Christmas, whatever day of the week those fall on. On Memorial Day they can open, but not before noon.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 33 – Sales and Delivery of Alcoholic Beverages on Election Days, Sundays and Legal Holidays
Bars and restaurants are treated more leniently. Thanksgiving follows normal Sunday hours. On Christmas and Memorial Day, on-premise service cannot start until noon (1:00 AM to noon is off-limits, or 2:00 AM to noon in Suffolk County). A town that has adopted Section 33B can authorize its bars and restaurants to open at 10:00 AM instead of noon on those two holidays, which matters mostly for brunch service.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 33 – Sales and Delivery of Alcoholic Beverages on Election Days, Sundays and Legal Holidays5General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 33B – Sales of Alcoholic Beverages by On-Premise Licensees on Sundays and Certain Legal Holidays
Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries
Massachusetts breweries, wineries, and distilleries can sell their own products by the bottle for you to take home on Sundays and legal holidays, under specific carveouts for each license type.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 33 – Sales and Delivery of Alcoholic Beverages on Election Days, Sundays and Legal Holidays Those exceptions cover retail bottle sales at the production site, not on-site pouring. Whether a taproom can pour you a pint on Sunday depends on the separate pouring or farmer-series license the producer holds, so hours vary by location. Call ahead.
Your Town Can Set Stricter Hours
Every rule above is a state ceiling. Local licensing authorities in Massachusetts set the actual hours on each license, either across the board or establishment by establishment.4General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 12 They can also decline to adopt certain provisions of the state alcohol law entirely.6General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138, Section 11A
A town can require its package stores to close earlier than 11:00 PM on Sunday, delay bar openings past 10:00 AM, or refuse to authorize the 10:00 AM start on Christmas and Memorial Day. If you’re in an unfamiliar part of the state, the local licensing board or town clerk’s office has the answer.
Sunday Alcohol Delivery
Delivery in Massachusetts runs on the underlying retailer’s license, so the same hours apply. A package store using its own drivers or a delivery app cannot deliver before 10:00 AM or after 11:00 PM on Sunday, and the same age-verification and adult-signature rules apply at the door. The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission oversees compliance for both storefront and delivery sales.7Mass.gov. Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission Holiday blackouts carry over: no package store deliveries on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and none before noon on Memorial Day.