Can you purchase alcohol on Thanksgiving in Kansas? See laws for liquor, grocery stores

Thanksgiving is coming up, and you may be planning to bring a bottle of wine or mix up your favorite cocktail for the holiday table.

But if you’re a last-minute shopper living in Kansas, you may have to let go of that habit for this holiday, because Kansas law does not allow liquor stores to operate on the holiday — Nov. 28 for 2024. So you might need to make a run before Thursday.

Thanksgiving is one of the three holidays that Kansas liquor stores are not allowed to operate on. The other two are Christmas Day and Easter.

Missouri, on the other hand, doesn’t restrict alcohol sales from any businesses on any particular holidays, so you can also buy liquor or beer on that side of the state line.

In Kansas, where wine or hard liquor can’t be sold at grocery stores, you can still purchase items like beer and cereal malt beverages in those stores on Thanksgiving. Although some grocery stores may be closed or have reduced hours on the holiday, Kansas liquor laws allow grocery stores to sell alcohol on every holiday but Easter.

There are also no laws against restaurants and bars serving alcohol on the holiday, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue’s website.

This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 5:00 AM.

Lindsay Smith

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.