Summer boozing allowed at 7 Vancouver beaches on ‘permanent basis’

After a two-year pilot project, the Vancouver Park Board has permanently allowed alcohol at seven beaches, including Spanish Banks and Second Beach.

Following a two-year pilot project, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation has decided to permanently allow alcohol consumption all summer long at seven popular beaches.

On Monday evening, commissioners approved the city’s Alcohol on Beaches program – which runs from the first week of June to the last week of September – on a “permanent basis” at Kitsilano Beach, John Hendry Beach, Jericho Beach, Locarno Beach, New Brighton Beach, Spanish Banks and Second Beach.

The board noted the program will be subject to “the availability of operating funding from city council and support from the Vancouver Police Department.”

Council has already earmarked approximately $480,000 for the park board expenses and $450,000 for policing costs to keep the Alcohol on Beaches program running through summer 2025, but staff will need to request funding for 2026 and beyond.

Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky said the city has supported the initiative as part of their “commitment to making Vancouver fun,” and expressed hope that officials would continue to do so.

“It is very expensive,” Bastyovanszky said, at Monday’s meeting. “Half a million dollars a year goes a really long way.”

The board also directed staff to review beach closing times, and report back on whether they should be changed during the summer.

Drinking alcohol at beaches remains illegal throughout the year at Vancouver’s other beaches, including English Bay, Sunset Beach and Third Beach.