BC Business
Vancouver patio hours | BCBusinessVancouver restaurants without previous complaints will be able to remain open until midnight throughout the summer.
Vancouver City Council voted yesterday to extend patio hours for Vancouver restaurants, allowing patios to remain open until midnight, from April through October. Only those restaurants with no previous noise complaints over the past 12 months are eligible to extend their hours. The City currently has permits issued for 277 small patios and 316 large patios.
The change comes as part of a new pilot project, which started in 2013, aiming to improve the city’s nightlife. Last July council unanimously approved a motion to identify short-term actions and long-term policy changes for expanding patio spaces and hours. Under Vancouver bylaws, the hours of operation for large patios have been from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“People in Vancouver have made it clear that they want to be able to enjoy later patio opportunities in neighbourhoods throughout the city, and I am glad that council has responded with such strong support for these changes,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson in a prepared statement. “Simple things like expanded patio hours, new food trucks, parklets, Viva Vancouver programs and new tasting lounges are all part of our efforts to make Vancouver an even more fun, vibrant and cosmopolitan city to live in or visit.”
This announcement comes shortly after another significant shift for the province’s hospitality industry: an overhaul of B.C.’s liquor laws, including allowing grocery stores to sell liquor, removing the beer garden restrictions at outdoor festivals and allowing happy hour drink specials.
Check out our list of Vancouver’s best patios to do a business deal.