Drinking is now legal in these 22 Vancouver parks: map

Vancouver -

Park visitors across Vancouver can now legally crack a cold one in select green spaces.

As of Monday at 11 a.m., alcohol consumption is permitted in parts of 22 parks while the city tests out a pilot project that was first suggested by the park board more than 30 months ago.

The parks have specific zones where alcohol is permitted between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. until Oct. 11.

Vancouver's park board first agreed to study the possibility of drinking in parks on Dec. 17, 2018.

That study was delayed, but last year, the board voted in favour launching a pilot project and identified the 22 parks. However, the park board also needed approval from the B.C. government.

In late April, the B.C. government introduced a bill that allowed the park board to choose where booze can be consumed legally.

In the weeks that followed, the park board announced the areas within the 22 parks that would be set aside as alcohol-permitted zones. Finally, last Monday, the park board approved the pilot project with a final vote. 

The park board says the areas were picked based on their spread across the city and their proximity to washrooms and waste facilities. The board also tried to reduce overlap with playgrounds, sports fields, beaches, community gardens and ecologically sensitive areas.

Staff will gather and provide feedback on the pilot project after it ends.

Drinking is now legal in more than 45 parks and plazas across Metro Vancouver. Below is an interactive map with locations that allow drinking outdoors. Each location might have different rules, which are detailed on the map.