Parliament approves extension to pub opening hours for the royal wedding
The Licensing Act 2003 (Royal Wedding Licensing Hours) Order 2018 was approved in both Houses of Parliament - the House of Lords and the House of Commons - on 1 May.
The extension - which was called for by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) in December 2017, as reported by The Morning Advertiser - means that operators will be able to extend their hours on Friday 18 May and Saturday 19 May until 1am the following morning.
BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds commented: “I am delighted that Parliament has approved the order to extend pub opening hours which will save most pubs the cost of a temporary event notice (TEN) and allows us all to celebrate.
“Our new fact sheet will help pubs across the country with their planning for the big weekend. A royal wedding is a great national celebration, and without doubt the best place to celebrate it is in a pub.”
The BBPA’s Royal Wedding Fact Sheet, produced in partnership with licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen, is available here.
The news comes after it was announced on 30 April that the BBC had decided to waive the TV licence fee for communities wanting to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.
This means that street parties and other special events can keep up with the broadcaster’s coverage without buying a licence for either live TV or iPlayer.
A number of brewers and operators have been preparing for the event by launching commemorative products to serve on the day.
