To mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day the government has announced extended licensing hours.
Yesterday it was confirmed that this year on the 8th & 9th May to aid in the marking of the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day some (those with an 11am license) pubs, bars and restaurants will have their ability to serve customers extended.
Here are the details:
- Firstly the early May Bank Holiday will not be, as is tradition, on the first Monday in May (this year falling on the 4th) but will be changed to Friday 8th.
- On Friday 8th and Saturday 9th May premises with 11pm licenses will automatically have these extended until 1am on both days.
- There is no news on venues with later licenses, but traditionally these are not extended.
- It is not yet clear whether this will also cover ‘late-night refreshment’ i.e. the ability to sell hot food past 11pm so you will need to keep an eye on announcements.
- If you want to go past 1am or extend your opening hours on the Sunday then you will need to apply for a TEN as usual.
It should be a nice little boost for business in early May and there are still talks ongoing regarding the marking of VJ Day on August 15th. We will let you know as soon as we hear on that.