Can they drink on Love Island? The booze rules explained

Lochan and Whitney on a date in Love Island drinking, with an orange border around the image

(Image credit: ITV/Future)

last updated 25 July 2023

Can they drink on Love Island? It's a question we find ourselves asking season after season, as the Islanders are often seen with a drink in their hand during the evenings—whether they're having a 'chat' on the terrace or 'cheers-ing' at the start of the night.

This year's Love Island summer series is wrapping up very soon in Mallorca (if you're wondering when Love Island 2023 will finish, and where Love Island 2023 is filmed). And as ever, there's been plenty of flirting and fighting from the Islanders, be it Ella and Tyrique's adorable reunion, or Molly Marsh's beef with Kady McDermott (here's how to watch Love Island UK if you missed it). But are any of these juicy interactions fuelled by an alcoholic beverage or two? The contestants rarely, if ever, appear drunk, but evenings at the Love Island villa can feel like one big party—and even on dates, we tend to see Islanders sipping on a cocktail or a glass of bubbly.

So do they have alcohol in those iconic gold glasses, then? Well, it appears that the drinks aren't always free-flowing for our villa residents when they're not drinking from their Love Island water bottles. There are actually some very particular rules that the Islanders have to follow when it came to alcohol. So if you've ever found yourself wondering, can they drink on Love Island? These are all the deets you need to know...

Can they drink on Love Island?

In short: yes, the contestants can drink on Love Island, but not too much. Producers have long had rules in place that mean excessive alcohol can't be entirely to blame for any *ahem* tension or arguments between the gang.

In fact, there has been some kind of booze limit in place since at least season two, which aired back in 2016.

Speaking to The Sun, a contestant from that season, Liana Isadora Van-Riel, said: "You're allowed one or two drinks a night, either wine or beer, no spirits." She added that many of the Islanders actually often only had one drink, or simply a cup of tea. On a "big night"—such as a dumping—they would be more likely to enjoy their full allowance.

Whitney, Ella and Lochlan sitting down in Love Island, and Ella with a drink in her hand

These guidelines have stayed in place as the years have gone by. 2019 Islander Amy Hart revealed that the rules were still the same for her series, sharing that you needed to put in your alcohol request during the day if you wanted some booze in the evening.

"So it's definitely one drink in the night and you have to order it in the afternoon. You can have like white wine, red wine, beer," she said on the Snakeys Tap Talk podcast.

"I think for every one glass of wine you can get two beers because they are little cans. That was it. There was no spirits or anything. You could have a glass of prosecco actually. But it's like Spanish prosecco. It's one drink and if it's a particularly long night, you get a second drink.”

cast toasting with drinks in the winter Love Island 2023 first episode

Laura Anderson, one of the 2017 stars, told The Mirror that occasionally the cast could share one or two bottles of prosecco between them, "but you'd be lucky to get half [of that]", and that producers would pre-pour drinks and ensure no one drank anyone else's allowance.

And Eyal Booker, who appeared on the show in 2018, also told Closer that "it [alcohol consumption] was very, very limited" adding that they usually had "max two glasses of wine a night, and that’s max".

However, some contestants would still find themselves a little tipsy. "You can have two glasses of wine a night which some people still manage to get drunk off because they're actually quite big glasses," Molly-Mae Hague, who starred in series 5 in 2019, also explained to Closer. "One night Maura [Higgins] actually took my glass, downed it in the larder, filled it up with water and then put it back. She had three glasses of wine and was so drunk. It was so funny."

This might explain why 2019's Amber Gill speculated the rule had been scrapped from 2021 onwards, as she wrote on Twitter: “They are giving these Islanders more than two drinks I swear!”

Ekin-Su and Davide on their final Love Island date

However, this then prompted a show source to tell The Sun: “There have been no changes to how much alcohol Islanders can consume this series, and the amount of booze remains limited." They have also previously said: "We provide our Islanders with all of the necessary precautionary measures and all alcohol consumption is strictly monitored by our production team."

So in answer to the question, can they drink on Love Island—it seems there is alcohol around, but not very much!

Does Love Island have any other rules?

How much the Islanders can drink in the villa isn't the only rule in place. Because, while the show's creators always want to add to the list of the most memorable Love Island moments with some entertaining episodes, they're also keen to keep things as safe and sensible as possible.

For example, the show has also been strict for a while on smoking—though this wasn't always the case.

Liana revealed in the same conversation with The Sun that her season of Islanders were allowed a pack of 20 cigarettes a day. "I only social smoked before the show and when I went in I was smoking 15 a day," she said. The following year, in 2017, there was a huge wave of complaints about contestants seemingly lighting up constantly on the show. As reported by Heart, the series' that have followed have had a smoking ban in place in the villa and gardens. An ITV spokesperson said: "We have a designated smoking area outside the villa. Islanders can only use this area alone," which explains why we don't often (if at all) now see the Islanders smoke.

According to The Mirror, the singletons also aren't supposed to be naked in front of each other—however hot things get. They are similarly discouraged from completely stripping off in the shower (most wear swimsuits), since the villa should be considered a public place.

Love Island contestants cuddling on outdoor sofas

On top of this, masturbation is prohibited and while sex scenes do air (rarely), Love Island reps say that this is only shown when it's relevant to the storyline, as well as practiced safely with condoms; and presumably, below the covers.

A spokesperson said: "The show isn't about sex, it's about following the couples' journeys. We only tend to show moments of intimacy when we feel it is important to the couple’s story and advances the narrative of the show."

This year, some new Love Island 2023 social media rules were also revealed ahead of the winter season—although these don't actually directly apply to the contestants themselves. It was agreed that, unlike in previous years, friends and family members will not run contestants social media accounts (such as Twitter and Instagram) whilst they are inside the villa, in order to safeguard both their mental health and wellbeing, and that of their families.

It's a controversial move, especially as fans have noted that 2023's winter cohort came out of the villa with significantly smaller social followings than previous years. And given that social media is where a lot of former Love Island contestants make their money, it's understandable that this may not be popular.

Aside from this, there are some other very important Love Island rules that the Islanders must adhere to during their time in the villa—including no violence of any kind, and no outside technology or media. This means that the contestants are not allowed their personal phones (they receive 'Island' phones instead), nor are they allowed to read magazines or books, or anything similar, during their time in the villa. The Love Island sleep routine also means that they don't often get to bed until 3 or 4am, either. Ouch!

How to watch Love Island from anywhere in the world

If you've missed an episode of this season or entire series of Love Island—because, well, life—then you can still stream them online on ITVX, formerly known as the ITV hub, at a time that's more convenient to you.

While the Islanders can't, you could perhaps get in the spirit yourself by partaking in a drinking game based on frequently-used Love Island quotes?

Not in the UK? You can watch via a VPN. Cheers to that!

Lauren is a freelance writer and editor with more than six years of digital and magazine experience. Most recently, she has been the Acting Commissioning Editor of Women's Health—where she co-produced the Going For Goal podcast—and has previously also written news and features for titles including The Telegraph, Grazia, Stylist, Dazed, The Sun's Fabulous, Yahoo Style UK and Get The Gloss. She covers all aspects of lifestyle, specializing in health, beauty, and travel. Can't live without: oat milk lattes, new podcast episodes, long walks, and great skincare.