You can drink in Vancouver’s public plazas for another year

by Sara Harowitz on April 10th, 2024 at 11:06 AM

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Continuing Vancouver’s ongoing quest to become more chill, City Council has voted to extend its Drinking in Public Plazas Program. Which means you can crack a can of Brassneck’s Passive Aggressive or sip on one of Please! Beverage Co.’s to-go cocktails outside, in public, without fear of a ticket. How civilized!

The best cities are the ones that offer its residents free, comfortable places to commune. Of course, drinking doesn’t have to be part of this setup, but it’s sure nice to have options for outdoor spaces that allow public imbibing (those dine-in cocktails are expensive, you feel me?).

The program has officially been extended until May 14, 2025, including such plazas as Cambie and 17th, Granville and 13th, and Main Street and 21st. In the summer months (May 15 to October 16, 2024), drinking in these areas will be allowed from 11am to 9pm daily; during the colder season (October 17, 2024 to May 14, 2025), drinking will be allowed from 11am to 5pm.

“We are thrilled to support the extension of the Drinking in Public Plazas Program and we remain committed to supporting vibrant public spaces here in Vancouver,” Mayor Ken Sim says in a statement. “A huge component of the program’s success are the plaza and community stewards who care for these spaces daily. I want to extend a personal note of gratitude to the stewards for all that they do to ensure these plazas serve as places for community connection, diverse public life and responsible drinking.”

The stewards he’s referring to are the business associations, residents, and entrepreneurs that look after these plazas. Still, do the neighbourly thing and make sure you clean up after yourself, will ya?

Here are all of the participating plaza locations:

Year-round (May 15, 2024 to May 14, 2025)