As summer comes to an end, so does legal drinking on the beach in the City of Vancouver.
At the start of the season, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation introduced a three-month Alcohol on Beaches pilot program that allowed people to consume alcohol at seven popular beaches.
Around the same time, several other alcohol consumption pilot projects were introduced, such as Granville Island's open alcohol consumption program and the city's recently approved year-round public drinking plazas.
The Alcohol on Beaches pilot began on June 1 and permitted folks to drink at these beaches between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.:
- Jericho Beach
- Spanish Banks
- Locarno Beach
- Kitsilano Beach
- Trout Lake Beach in John Hendry Park
- New Brighton Beach
- Second Beach
The pilot concludes after Labour Day weekend on Sept. 4. However, people can continue to drink alcohol at 33 parks around the city which were established as permanent year-round locations. However, even if there's a beach right next to the park, drinking is not permitted there.
"While the consumption of alcohol is sanctioned year-round at these [park] sites, drinking is not permitted at any adjacent beaches [for example] Kitsilano Beach," the Park Board notes in a news release. "Drinking anywhere in English Bay and Third Beach in Stanley Park is not permitted at any time of the year."
