Revelers to the Squamish Valley Music Festival this year may just get to indulge in an alcoholic beverage throughout the festival grounds, rather than only in fenced-off beer gardens.
Council authorized the submission of an application by the festival producers to temporarily extend the district’s primary liquor licence to include site-wide alcohol service, on behalf of the festival’s producer, Brand Live Management Group.
District staff had recommended council not allow the submission due to liability issues because the district is the primary licence holder and due to concern over risk of increased injury, and possible damage to Squamish’s brand.
“As the primary liquor licence holder, the district will be ultimately liable for whatever happens as a result of that liquor licence,” said Corien Becker, District of Squamish chief administrative officer.
Paul Runnals from the Squamish Valley Music Festival said that permission for site-wide alcohol consumption is one of the top requests from festivalgoers.
“Nothing is perfect, I am not going to pretend that it is, however there’s certainly the pressure from our patrons, the public, the consensus of politicians – this is a movement that is happening, we want to be the leading-edge of this movement,” he said.
Councillor Susan Chapelle said it was a change that was long overdue and something that is done at festivals in other parts of Canada and around the world, without catastrophic results.
“I have never liked caged drinking,” she said, referring to beer gardens. “I think caged drinking creates problems.” Chapelle said that with beer gardens, parents can only enjoy a beer if they separate from their children. She also said that she doesn’t think allowing alcohol throughout the site will cause any further injuries or trouble. “It is not true anywhere else in the world,” she said.
For past Squamish Valley Music Festivals, there have been several licensed areas totaling about 14,000 seats in 2014, according to the district.
There will still be an official review of the plan to allow alcohol throughout the site, including by Liquor Administration Branch and the Squamish RCMP.
