A New Twist to Licensing Outdoor Event Venues in BC

The BC Government has recently offered the opportunity for permanent Liquor Primary Licensing to those that regularly use Special Event Permits to host various events at their outdoor venues throughout the year.

LCRB’s Bulletin 25-02 sets out what this means for both Venue Operators, and existing Liquor Primary Licensees who have an outdoor event area.

If you have questions about what this means; or may offer to your business and venue, please feel free to reach out – We are happy to answer questions, help interpret the Government proposal, and, to support you with any applications you might like to make as a result…..

Here is what the Bulletin says:

“Who’s impacted:

These changes apply to the following:

Special event permittees with outdoor event venues

Liquor Primary licensees with outdoor event venues

What’s changing

The Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch is introducing new Liquor Primary (LP) terms and conditions and policies related to outdoor event venues. These changes create a consistent licensing framework to support outdoor event venues that hold frequent Special Event Permits (SEPs) throughout the year.

An outdoor event venue is an outdoor premise, that holds public events such as music and arts festivals, live concerts, and large-scale events. An outdoor event venue is not required to have a permanent structure (i.e., building).

The changes mean venues that previously hosted several events under multiple SEPs now have the option to apply for a permanent LP licence.

A Liquor Primary (LP) licensee with an outdoor event-driven venue does not need to apply to change their licence but must follow the rules and procedures outlined in the LP Licence Handbook (Special Rules section) and the Liquor Policy Manual (section 3.4.5).

A licensee or applicant that does not have an LP licence and would like to apply for one can apply through the liquor and cannabis licensing portal. There is no deadline or expiry date.”

Note : For any Resorts that already use Temporary Use Authorizations or TUAs to serve liquor at outdoor events at their approved TUA areas – These will continues as normal.