Parliament approves royal wedding extended hours for pubs

Parliament has announced pubs will be able to extend their opening hours over the royal wedding weekend.

Pubs will be able to extend their hours on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May until 1am the following morning. The extension, which the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) called for at the end of 2017, was approved by both the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The association said longer pub hours on 19 May would give a £10m boost to the trade.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: "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."

The BBPA have published a fact sheet in conjunction with licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen to help pubs prepare for the weekend, which also coincides with the FA Cup final, outlining the changes to licensing regulations for pubs on these two evenings.

The order only applies to extended hours for consumption in the on-trade, in licensed premises.

Past national celebrations where the government has used the ‘special occasions order' have included the royal wedding in 2011, the Queen's diamond jubilee in 2012, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016.

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