Patrons of White Rock's popular waterfront Night Market will likely be able to purchase beer and wine and seltzer beverages when the monthly event returns for a second year this spring.
The main question seems to be how big the beer/wine garden service area will be for the six dates of the market planned for 2025 – and that will be up to council and city staff to stipulate, pending regulatory approval from White Rock RCMP, White Rock Fire/Rescue and the B.C Liquor Control and Licensing Branch.
At Monday night's meeting (Feb. 24), councillors seemed in agreement with a suggestion from Coun. Elaine Cheung that it approve the beer/wine garden proposal put forward by recreation and culture director John Woolgar and the night market's parent organization, the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival – but "with some modifications."
Woolgar and the White Rock Night Market team's Jason Faria appeared before council as a preliminary step to seek guidance on moving forward with the plan.
Crux of the matter – and an evident philosophical divide – is that the proposal suggests that the licensed area should include all of Memorial Plaza, plus a significant part of the adjacent promenade and sidewalk and the White Rock Museum and Archive's main entrance area.
Arguments in favour of this were that it would allow those consuming alcoholic beverages to move freely around the night market area rather than being segregated from other family members and friends; that it would encourage longer stays at the market, and that local breweries and wineries would be promoted.
It was also argued that it is seen as a means of promoting business in the overall area by existing waterfront restaurants and other licensed establishments, and that night market staff would monitor the area to make sure that over-consumption and incidents of rowdiness were prevented.
Faria noted that other licensed events conducted by the Greater Vancouver Truck Festival (recently these have included the Chilliwack Ribfest, the Mission Ribfest, Langley Community Days and the Chilliwack Party in the Park) have been managed without incident.
But Mayor Megan Knight and most council members, while enthusiastically endorsing the market, voiced reservations about the size of the proposed licensed area.
"My question is regarding the beer garden's size," said Knight.
"When I read the brochure, it says they would like to introduce an 'intimate' licensed area – and then when I go to the map, it's the whole area. My concern is, are we having a whole fenced-off night market now, so that people can drink beer in there?"
Woolgar said that, in the proposal, people within the fenced area – the majority of the market – would be ID'd and would receive a wrist band if they wanted to buy alcoholic beverages.
"It depends, I guess, where we're defining the area of the night market – how far east, and how far west."
Knight said she was more in favour of a traditional, smaller, fenced-off area, customary for beer gardens at other events such as the Concerts at the Pier series.
"It's quite the family-friendly event, whenever I'm down there...a whole beer garden area I wouldn't support," Knight said.
Coun. David Chesney echoed Knight's remarks.
"It's a very family-friendly event and quite packed – they might be a victim of their own success," he said.
"Literally across the street there's a dozen areas where people can get a drink. I just don't see, in that close confines, to add alcohol into the mix. It's a hugely successful event as it is."
Cheung also took issue with the submitted drawing of the licensed area.
"It's too big and it's absolutely true, the families love it. The BIA has had a beer garden down there, and they had it roped off in a small area and it worked well for them."
Woolgar said staff had spoken to the BIA and "they don't have any issues with the proposal as stated – but they haven't canvassed their entire membership."
Faria said night market organizers were "100 per cent" willing to work with the city "on the advice of council and staff, to make this work."
He said however, that liquor control laws, RCMP regulations and municipal laws require a sectioned space.
"If we were to make it smaller we're then putting people, basically, in a pen, and saying 'you can only exist in this area without your children, without your friends, without your family, and only up to, maybe, 200 people.'
"We would have the whole space licensed, but there would be security that roams on-site as well as wristbands that would only be done from the point of purchase. The fenced-off area is to prevent people leaving or coming in either side, as well as for us to control what's happening in the space," he said.
"Our intention isn't for people to over-consume – it's, in fact, for people to have a drink or two while experiencing the market, while staying with it, and then going into the restaurants and spending their money there.
"We're not necessarily looking to sell a lot of liquor – we're trying to get people to stay within the space and spend more than 45 minutes there."
In response to a suggestion from Coun. Michele Partridge, Faria said the intention was to involve local breweries and wineries as soon as approval is received.
In answer to a question from Coun. Bill Lawrence about "pushback" in other locations, Faria said that, while there are always questions, he wouldn't describe them as pushback.
He said the festival would be operating licensed facilities in seven different municipalities outside of White Rock this year.
"So far we have zero incidents reported over eight years of licensed events," he said.
Coun. Christopher Trevelyan said he was generally in favour of a "casual environment where people could enjoy a wine and beer and handle the liquor appropriately."
"My only hesitation is...you have a lot of businesses right in front of it that do rely on liquor and have extremely high rents, I'd feel more comfortable at least having a more robust understanding of their (reaction)."
