Booze hours extended for bars and nightclubs
(CNS): Owners of bars and nightclubs will be able to open for an hour longer week nights following a decision by the Liquor Licensing Board to allow licence holders a blanket extension. From 1 July, retail bar licence holders can remain open until 2:00am, Mondays to Fridays, and until 12:00am on Saturdays and Sundays. This means that retail nightclub licence holders can remain open until 4:00am, Mondays to Fridays, and until 12:00am on Saturdays.
Gavin Dixon, the senior trade officer at the Department of Commerce and Investment and board secretary, said business owners would still need to curtail liquor sales towards the end of the operating hours, as required by the law.
“Licence holders need to remember that they still have to comply with the law and cease all liquor sales during the last ten minutes of their permitted hours. Standard liquor licensing and safety conditions will also apply,” he added.
While the news will be welcomed by booze licensees, the police may not be so supportive as they have pointed to mounting problems for them at liquor licence premises of late. Following a catalogue of dangerous firearms related incidents outside three bars and clubs in George Town Friday night-Saturday morning, the police raised their concerns in a press release Monday.
“Several incidents in recent months, including these last Friday, indicate an increased level of threat in the vicinity of nightclubs on the weekends,” an RCIPS spokesperson said a few hours before the government released the news that the extension to nightclubs and bars will commence on 1 July.
The police also revealed that, along with a number of gun-related incidents in and around clubs, ten knives were taken from people going into just one venue on Friday night by private security officers at the door. Although police attend liquor licence meetings, they rarely, if ever, ask for licences to be suspended at spots causing them concern.
The next major meeting of the board will be in August, following the deadline for the annual renewal of licences. Dixon urged licensees to deal with renewals early to avoid processing delays as all premises must be inspected by relevant government agencies before they can be granted licences to continue selling liquor.
Renewal applications are available from the Business Licensing Counter on the first floor of the Government Administration Building, and on DCI’s website.
For more information contact the Liquor Licensing Board through Gavin Dixon on 244-3167 or DCI’s Renee Rankin on 244-6680.
Category: Local News
This Government obviously has it priorities set out, keep the young people in a drunken daze; get them addicted to alcohol and partying. The Goverment can do whatever they want as they will be sleeping off hangovers.
And i quote…a little reminder to the old folks of Cayman…Apparently this is not the 1960’s or 1940’s. Let me voice it a little bit more to give you all a better understanding or clarification of what i am really trying to say here…this is a new generation and we will drink and party all night long like its 1999…otherwise, the party will go on.
More mandatory junk comin soon: roti n doubles!
Shame DCI and Board!!
Is it really the clubs and bars fault why people are getting hurt? They are just a service. People need to be more responsible with their lives and know their limits.
This is obviously a well timed political move which will also bolster government coffers with added duty revenue. The knock effect from this will undoubtedly subtlety increase all our health and car insurance rates.
We are encouraged to drink more refined alcohol but still partaking of the natural herb is verboten. All about the money and power, or so it seems.
Why not decriminalise small amounts of ganja like Jamaica and save revenue? Incarceration over a little spliffage is archaic and senseless and should be reserved for first world criminal offences.
I had the hardest time waking up this morning. But I tell yah one thing, when THIS news came over the radio in my car…LMAO I could not stop laughing. Why Cayman so backwards though?
To understand why it is so backwards you need to understand the “culture and heritage”. Apparently.
….ridiculous! The Liquor License Board should be held accountable when fatal/hit and run accidents happen due to DUI being involved! There needs to be accountability for this reckless decision!!!
Why not just change to law to ban sober driving on the roads between 1am and 5am and let fate run its course?
This is nothing short of being an absolute reckless decision! Were they drunk when they made this decision? Or are they deaf, dumb and blind to what has been happening in our community with the high level of crime: stabbings, shootings, fatal accidents, fatal hit and run accidents, robberies and the list goes on and on! How can you have the public’s best interest in mind by making such an irresponsible decision. Let’s use commonsense… I’ve always been told that with every action there’s a reaction and with that comes consequences. And this decision can only reap negative consequences. Long before 2am people are drunk and a danger to themselves and others let alone extending the already extended hours. For those of us who choose to drive responsibly and have a conscience for others, we will have to be even more careful on these already dangerous roads in Cayman.
@ 10:13….. Please be informed that this has nothing to do with crime, health, safety or anything else…. only money . It seems that the owners of some of the alcohol serving establishments have seats on the Liquor Licensing Board and insure that any rulings that are acted upon will be favorable for themselves. It’s called Caymankind!
isn’t there enough people being maimed &/or killed on our roads already? why is this extension necessary or even suggested? the later nights, in addition to creating havoc on the roads will effect productivity in the work place. Oh dear! what is this country coming to? can’t see beyond our noses!!!!
think about things we can do to improve productivity, not hamper it.
Why is this necessary???!? Sorry I forgot – to feed the greed!!!!
RCIPS are only upset cause now they have to patrol 2am-6am. I mean, they still won’t, but just the thought of having to do it upsets them.
I think its great. As someone who frequently goes out to these places I honestly have not seen the problems you are all mentioning in your comments. These places are fun and its great that they are open an extra hour. As to crime increase because of it? I laugh because it wont do anything to increase it. People regularly go somewhere else like house parties or to get food from late night dives until morning (especially on Friday). Cops worry about drunk drivers all they have to do is set up road blocks during closing times. I haven’t seen a roadblock in ages…
I agree but people need to be smart as well and use common sense that seems not to be common anymore…
Right because drinking into the night you really do need that extra hour at the bar before you go to an after hours place and finally drive home obliterated at 5 am at which time you run someone down with your car and drive away……
Wake up Cayman
These ungodly places should be closed permanently because of all the negative behavior reported in the news, rather than having the hours extended. How in the world can we clean up the mess we are in by not dealing with the root of the problem. We are drifting further and further away from God.
I think they exact same thing about churches!
With all the gun crime last week why oh why are they being extended all the rag toe clubs should be shut down. But hey ho revenue for government so bury your head in the sand
This is just what Jesus would have wanted. Thank heaven for our commitment to Christian values.
Jesus would have loved to have had the chance to boogie a bit later on week nights. The licensed bar trade did not like him because of the impact on their sales of his water into wine routine though, so he was barred from a lot of the clubs.
With all the trouble going on around nightclubs you would think closing them down earlier would be more like it…not keeping them open longer.
A man who drives when he is drunk, should haul his Coffin in his trunk.
Ridiculous. I’m sure the residents that live close to these bars will really appreciate that! The hours are long enough… sort your saturday bull**** out – makes you wonder what century we’re living in especially with the recent comments coming from Eden and the other MLA’s.
Well now that this has been approved let’s hope the police can properly monitor the streets at those hours, because if the clubs now close at 4am people won’t be getting home until almost 5am (depending on where they live). This is now going to push the drunk drivers almost into the sunrise hours.
Yes. It won’t be long before one of the early morning bikers or joggers gets killed
Again.
still maintains the stupidity of not being able to be in a premises past midnight on a saturday…..
just another day in wonderland…..
Next you will want to recognize same sex unions! Go back to your country if you want to drink after midnight on a Saturday.
You can drink after midnight, just not in a public venue. In some states in the US they are still dry, and they seem to manage just fine. Do you see people going to settle in those states and try to change the law?
Go back to church Nazi 😉
If you don’t like it go back where you came from
Close bars at 11:45pm on Saturdays because Sunday is the day of the Lord, a day for Church! Yet most bars are back open by 10am well before any church services end…..welcome to La La Land.
Nobody forces the churches to close when the bars are open. Why not?