Photo by philliefan99.

Jazz at the Sculpture Garden is one of D.C.’s quintessential summer activities. What better way to spend a Friday evening than sitting on the lawn listening to a variety of jazz artists during the National Gallery of Art’s weekly series? Attendees make a night out of the event as the concert creates a fitting atmosphere for a picnic.

Another long-standing tradition over the years is concertgoers sharing a bottle of wine or two amongst friends. While bringing alcoholic beverages inside the Sculpture Garden is prohibited, that ban was never rigidly enforced — many attendees never thought twice about bringing their own bottles of wine or beer to the park.

This year, however, things have changed significantly.

Upon arriving at the Sculpture Garden last Friday with a bottle of chardonnay in tow, we noticed that several of the garden’s entrances were closed. Furthermore, the entrances that were open featured several security guards thoroughly checking bags to make sure no alcoholic beverages were being brought inside.

This is quite a contrast — my wife and I have been attending Jazz at the Sculpture Garden for years, and it was the first time we’d been searched. As the security guard rummaged through our bag, he of course quickly discovered our contraband and would not allow us to bring it inside. (The wine wasn’t confiscated, however.)

The National Gallery of Art obviously wants patrons to buy alcoholic beverages in-house, but considering the long lines for people waiting to buy pitchers of sangria, bringing your own booze is obviously a timesaver. After some clever repacking, we tried another entrance and were granted admittance, chardonnay included. After surveying the grounds, we soon learned we weren’t the only ones who were successful at our attempts.

“The security has been a little more aggressive this year, yes,” admitted a spokesperson for the National Gallery. She said the decision was made by the Gallery to enforce its policy of not allowing outside alcoholic beverages to be brought into the Sculpture Garden.

Obviously, we’re not endorsing smuggling your drinks inside. But, if you choose to do so, you may want to pack your wine very, very carefully the next time you go.

Additional reporting by Aaron Morrissey.