Vancouver Bars Lowkey Gonna Be Lit Till 4 AM? 🍹🌃

The Deets

Okay, fam, listen up! Vancouver City Council just made a major move. They're letting bars, pubs, and clubs in the downtown core keep the party going till 4 AM! Restaurants get to stay open till 2 AM. Outside of downtown, the hours are 3 AM on weekends and 2 AM on weeknights. So, basically, Vancouver's tryna be a whole different city after dark.

Hospitality businesses are screaming "W," seeing dollar signs and extra shifts, especially with the Soccer World Cup coming. Like, imagine the after-parties! ABLE B.C. is predicting a whole wave of new applications for extended hours. But some restaurant owners are kinda sus, worried about the extra costs eating into their profits.

But hold up, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Some groups are throwing shade, saying more late-night boozing could lead to more problems. They're worried about impaired driving, too much partying, and the healthcare system getting swamped. Vancouver Coastal Health already dropped the tea that alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations are on the rise. MADD Canada is also stressed about the driving situation.

The city is trying to chill everyone out, suggesting we need more safe rides home, bartenders who ain't over-pouring, and maybe the VPD needs to tweak where they're posted up. ABLE B.C. thinks ride-for-hire services and transit can def help keep things from getting too out of pocket.

All this is supposed to kick off in the fall. Vancouver's been expanding alcohol access lately anyway, letting people sip in parks and beaches, and chilling out on rules for new spots in the Granville Entertainment District.