Holding your event
Hosting an event with alcohol
- As the organizer, you must be present throughout the entire event. The organizer, servers, and security must not consume alcohol during the event.
- The function must be inclusive and supportive of those members of the University population who cannot or choose not to drink alcohol.
- Over-consumption must not be encouraged. If you serve alcohol to someone who becomes impaired as a result, you may be held legally liable for that person's subsequent behaviour.
- As licensee, you have a "duty of care" to protect patrons at your event and others from harm that may be associated with the activity of drinking. This includes harm which may occur on the premises of your event, as well as harm which may occur after the patron has left the premises.
Make sure your guests get home safely. The organizer must have in place and promote a Designated Driver program. (ICBC, UBC Wellness Centre, AMS Safewalk, AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC), Keys Please, Get Home Safe, and other groups offer materials that support "responsible drinking" messages, including safe sex, violence/sexual assault prevention, and designated driving).
Serving alcohol at your event
- All managers and paid servers must have Serving It Right certification. Scheduling Services will ask you to confirm that you have obtained your Serving It Right certification.
- Ensure that a wide variety and generous supply of food and non-alcoholic or de-alcoholized beverages is readily accessible and reasonably priced or free. (See the Special Occasion Licence Policy Manual [2.26MB PDF], section 8.8.2). For public events, the organizer may need to fill out a Temporary Food Services Application Form (85KB PDF) with Vancouver Coastal Health (see Policies, procedures, and fees for more information).
- To support responsible drinking and not encourage over-consumption, alcohol may not be sold at prices less than $2.00 per drink. Alcohol may not be sold at prices exceeding the maximums set in the Liquor Price Schedule (22KB PDF) established by the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB).
- Display your SOL where the alcohol is being sold or dispersed.
Plan to check identification to ensure underage individuals will not be served alcohol.
Planning your event
- Alcohol may not be an inducement to attend the event and no indication may be made about the availability of alcohol when promoting the event. For example, terms such as "Beer Garden," "Wine and Cheese," etc., are prohibited. (See the Special Occasion License Policy Manual (2.26 MB PDF), section 8.8.3 for more detail.)
- The amount of alcohol to be purchased will be calculated and determined by the RCMP.
- The purpose of the function cannot be making a profit. An exception is made if the LCLB is satisfied that the purpose of the function is to raise funds for a bona fide charitable purpose and authorizes same.
- If held outdoors, the area in which alcohol is to be served must be well illuminated and enclosed; entrances and exits must be adequately monitored.
- The function should be scheduled within legal serving times. All outdoor events on campus, regardless of whether alcohol will be served, must be concluded by 10:00 p.m. (serving times may be extended by RCMP permission before approval of SOL). Indoor events must be concluded by 1:00 a.m.
- Make arrangements ahead of time to ensure you are able to leave your event venue clean.
For licensed events with a capacity of 100 or more patrons, the licensee must provide Campus Security, the RCMP, and the Fire Department with an event Safety & Emergency Plan.
