Empty wine glasses lined up on a bar counter, with a blurred background featuring dimly lit bar ambiance.

Share your Thoughts on Proposed Changes to Vancouver’s Liquor Serving Hours

February 18 2025 –

The City of Vancouver is inviting those who live, work and play in Vancouver to share their thoughts on proposed changes to extend liquor serving hours at restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs.

The proposed changes are based on feedback from businesses and aim to modernize the City's liquor serving hours policy, which has remained largely unchanged since 2004. Additionally, these changes consider opportunities to reduce regulatory barriers for local businesses, enhance neighbourhood vibrancy, while prioritizing public health and safety.

Liquor serving hours are regulated by the Province’s Liquor Control and Licensing Act, which set the maximum hours businesses can serve alcohol. The Vancouver Charter authorizes the City to regulate operating and service hours of licensed establishments.

Currently, the City’s regulation on the latest closing times allowed for bars, pubs and nightclubs range from 1 am to 3 am depending on location and day of the week. Restaurants that are licensed to serve alcohol can do so until 1 am on weeknights and until 2 am on weekends. Proposed changes would allow:

  • All bars, pubs and nightclubs in Downtown to apply to stay open until 3 am every night of the week. These hours are currently permitted in some areas Downtown.
  • All restaurants in Vancouver that are licensed to serve alcohol to apply to serve until 2 am every night of the week.

If proposed changes are approved, businesses wanting to extend their hours would be required to follow the standard process of applying for approval from the Province and the City. Each application will be reviewed individually, allowing for public input on the potential impacts, such as noise and other community concerns. This is a provincial requirement. 

Tell us what you think

Feedback gathered alongside input from industry experts, Council priorities, and provincial regulations will help develop final recommendations for Council’s consideration this spring. 

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