Local bars to get green light for ‘quiet’ Sunday music
(CNS): Cabinet has approved a change to the Music and Dancing Act to level the commercial playing field for local bars and trip boats, giving them the same opportunities as restaurants and hotels on Sundays by allowing background music. The bill, which is now open for public consultation, will equalise the situation for owners of stand-alone bars and sea-going vessels, officials from the commerce ministry said. At present, licensed stand-alone bars and boats are banned from playing any music on a Sunday.
This has been seen as a material economic disadvantage for dozens of bars when compared to the rules applied to restaurants and hotels that are able to play music, albeit quietly, creating a more enticing ambience and attracting both local customers and tourists on Sundays.
The bill is likely to have an easy passage through parliament next month, given that this was the subject of an opposition private member’s motion by former premier Sir Alden McLaughlin (RED) earlier this year. It will ensure that going forward, stand-alone retail bars and boats holding valid licences are able to operate on a similar footing as hotels and restaurants.
The amendment bill defines “stand-alone bars” as bars with a liquor licence that are not located in a hotel or a restaurant. This includes community and cultural venues that operate retail bars when hosting for-profit community events as well as performances of music, dance and drama. Sea-going vessels are vessels deemed seaworthy by the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands that hold liquor as well as music and dancing licences.
Commerce Minister André Ebanks noted that this amendment aims to balance the concerns of local business owners with the wider community. “The ministry consulted with local business owners and relevant public and private sector stakeholders in the preparation of this Amendment Bill,” he said. “We were mindful of the potential added duties this may place on our enforcement agencies and the concerns raised by the local religious community.
“Ultimately, this Amendment Bill is intended to cause minimal disruption on Sundays, by allowing activity that is already taking place in the restaurant and hotel sectors to be extended to stand-alone bars and sea-going vessels. This will help to create a more level playing field and enable these sectors to generate additional revenue lawfully,” the minister added.
The bill provides added parameters around operating hours. Hotels and restaurants will be allowed to operate from 9am to 11:59pm while bars and boats will be able to open from 11am until 11:59pm. It also stipulates that bars should only play low background music that cannot be heard outside the premises. Sea-going vessels must be at least half a mile out to sea before music can be played.
When McLaughlin brought his motion, saying that local bars, largely Caymanian-owned, were getting a “raw deal”, it was accepted by the government. Ebanks said at the time that because the law had been changed piecemeal over the years, he wanted to take a holistic approach to its amendment.
However, McLaughlin had urged the minister not to wait for a complete review of the law because there was a quick fix for this issue, while there were challenging issues in the rest of the law relating to measuring noise levels. Nevertheless, the new bill has included an amendment to repeal section 14, which used to refer to noise levels being measured in decibels.
The bill does not deal with the controversial closure of all licensed premises at midnight on Saturdays. That part of the law is strongly supported by the churches and remains in place.
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan recently confirmed that the government has issued a blanket extension on Saturday, 31 December, to pave the way for the New Year celebrations.
To comment on the bill people can contact their constituency MP or the ministry at financialservices@caymangov.ky
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Category: Business, Food and Drink
This all seems like good news to me. If I am reading it corrrectly, this bill grants the same ability to play music on Sunday to boats as to bars. It also serves to reinforce the parameters of Sunday music in bars, namely the requirement that the music be ‘of a soft and background nature, not to go beyond the borders of the property.”
That is an excellent thing to reinforce, because that portion of the Music and Dancing doesn’t appear to be very well enforced. I don’t mind hearing music on Sunday, but often it sounds much like the rest of the days, and not really ‘background’.
Why is Sunday any different to any other day. Completely ridiculous can’t play music or go to the cinema on sundays. This island is 50 per cent expat and for me and most expats I know, we don’t believe in god or Sunday being a religious day. Time cayman got in the real world.
cinema open on sunday
Well Sir Alden’ little group of MP’s has rewarded his drunken friends with Sunday music.
Encouraging the drinking of alcohol is the only contribution he and the other Opposition MPs have contributed to governance.
A waste of over two Million Dollars in salaries and other benefits to them in the past year and a half.
Just more poor PPM AND UDP governance.
6.08am Stop being judgemental. If people want to drink they will. No-one is encouraging anyone to drink if they don’t want to. Some enjoy a good drink and are responsible which is their perogative.
Please pass a bill to ban leaf blowers!
Annoying aren’t they? Even on Sundays the “basstards” pollute the air with noise and the public roads with rubbish and debris.
“..albeit quietly..” That’s easy to enforce!
one small step for man , one giant leap for caymankind…..zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Let’s pray that the same rules apply to the “churches”, particularly those in and around the Lions Centre who make a god awful noise far to early every Sunday morning.
Hell and damnation on ya head full stop!!!!
Bring it!
Alden said it best. Remove the Sunday bans all together because if the person had any intentions to go to church, they wouldn’t be at a bar. Banning stuff won’t stop people.
Politicians will continue to patronize Country Western on Sunday.
Since when is there wisdom in anything Sir Alden says?
@1:47: Always.
Lord forgive us.
for what?
Following SIR Alden.
No.
Quiet music? Lmao.here goes.
Who actually makes these decisions? some bar bums ?
Jamaicans don’t do “quiet” anything , especially quiet music.
neither do the Cubans that live on an entirely different road from me but blast their music so much my hurricane shutters rattle and I have to sit with noise reducing headphones on all day and night!
You don’t have to do that. That situation constitutes a statutory nuisance, and fits well within the statutes of the Town and Communities Law.
Keep calling. Cause the laws to be enforced. Contact the press if it isn’t. Make some “noise” of your own.
yeah start a war with another household, anymore dipshit ideas?
Yes. I have several ‘dipshit’ ideas, such as:
1. taking responsibility for your own actions and their consequences
2. Standing up for yourself and your family
3. Causing long-ignored laws to be enforced
4. Getting to know and being supportive of your neighbours, and..
5. finally, one which is likely to require some work on your part — endeavour to be[come] a good person
Don’t bother calling anyone. I’ve had the exact same thing happen until my right ear is now damaged permanently. Even if the police were to show up, the perps will just resume their boisterous and usually drunken or drugged up endeavours after the cops have left. I’ve truly given up on this place. Even calling to report drink drivers is useless! Good old time Cayman is completely gone. There’s no going back. Born here, once a proud Caymanian, but I’ll do my best not to die in this hell hole. This place is rife with corruption, greed and utter ignorance.
Why is it even banned. And can someone explain to me why they can’t show an R rated movie at the cinemas on a Sunday, which is probably the most popular night to go and watch a movie. Bizarre,
cos God doesn’t like movies
What a load of bollocks. Already, and as always, bars and pubs and clubs play music too loud on Sundays. This Bill — which incidentally can’t be linked to in the CNS link above — will just give bars and pubs and clubs the ability to jack it up even more. This is a bullcrap bill. We should have at least ONE day of the week in which people don’t have to hear the thump thump from the bars. I guess this means that there are MPs with skin the the game who want to allow the thumpy thump.
Absolutely correct. Just wait until they approve 10 storey housing. CHAVs will run the streets. None of us will ever have 1 hour of peace much less 1 day.
What is a CHAV?
Council Housed And Violent
Dear lord, what next? Same sex marriage? Abortion?
Yes, those are next, And I can’t wait for it 🙂 Get with the times.
Hopefully 😉
It’s a disgrace that same sex marriage and abortion are illegal. Stuck in the dark ages.
Fix the dump and the traffic
The damn dump and the damn traffic!
Yes but can I make an individual choice to watch an R rated movie on a Sunday?
Watch whatever you want. I do. Everyone else does also. If you are crying about not being able to go to the cinema on Sunday and see an R rated movie, I have to say…….. really? Is this really the world-changing hook you want to hang your hat upon?
If so, that is sad.
Baby Jesus must be rolling in his grave.
Dramatic much!
Not sure how that fits in with the resurrection?
Can you actually believe that your family can rent a boat on a Sunday, park next to an owner of a boat, but you are legally not allowed to play music while they can? #onlyincayman
That is a misinterpretation of the law, which applies only to boats with Liquor/Music and Dancing Licenses, ie. party boats
Alcoholics love them some alcohol. If drunk driving, deaths and violence go up on Sundays, they will have to repeal it and apologize to the population.
Levels of DUI recidivism will remain “stable” among conditioned drunks.
Hi. Alcoholic here. Luckily for you, I’m only compelled to drink when there’s silence.
I only drink on days that end in the letter y
Hotels already have DJ dance parties. It’s past time to fix music in Cayman. Dissolve Cayman Islands Music Association, and all the religious police and obstructive gestapos. None of it has made sense for decades. The irony is that it hurts Caymanian musicians/bands the most!