First weekend of eased COVID-19 restrictions in B.C. busy for nightlife venues, police

The first weekend of eased COVID-19 restrictions affecting gatherings, venue capacity, bars and nightclubs was a busy one, both for businesses and police in Vancouver.

The relaxed measures, including the return of dancing, are a long-awaited change for the struggling entertainment sector. Fox Cabaret manager and co-owner Darlene Rigo said the weekend was “fantastic.”

“We didn’t have much time in advance to get everything ready, so we scrambled for a few days, but all of us with so much excitement and energy after a very long wait,” she said. “It was thrilling and wonderful just to see all the staff happy, saying ‘Yay, I can pay my rent.’”

Rigo said regulars the club hadn’t seen in almost two years returned, and added there was also live music, a sold-out show, and a packed house.

“They were dancing all the way in the door to the dance floor,” she said. “Everybody just wanted to keep going. Two years is a long time for those of us who love live music, and love dancing, rely on it for our livelihoods and our well-being.”

The return of patrons came as a wave of relief after prolonged uncertainty about the future of the business, and repeated closures.

“This last one was the hardest because I think we’d gotten our hopes up so many times and had them dashed,” she said. “I’m still trying to become used to this feeling of happiness and ease.”

On Granville Street, the Roxy cabaret also welcomed patrons back onto the dance floor. General manager Sasha Pocekovic said the streets were busy and people “seemed excited.”

“There was an energy that we had lost for a long, long time,” he said. “After 23 months of difficult and trying times, it was nice to see some stress-free people, happy, engaging, dancing for the first time.”

Indoor masking and vaccine passports are still in effect. Those measures will be reviewed over the coming months. Pocekovic said people are used to it by now.

“People understand that we still have some restrictions,” he said. “For the most part, everyone’s just happy to be working and out. Being able to socialize, being able to dance, it means a lot.”

It was also a busy weekend for Vancouver police, with extra patrols deployed throughout the entertainment districts.

Sgt. Steve Addison said it’s been “challenging.”

“The downtown core, the Granville strip, Yaletown, Gastown saw a significant influx of people both Friday and Saturday night as a result of the easing of COVID restrictions, the relaxed capacity limits at the bars and restaurants,” he said. “Both Friday and Saturday night, we saw significant lineups at all of the bars and the restaurants.”

Addison said police dealt with a number of conflicts on the streets, and are investigating a serious incident from early Saturday morning: a stabbing at Granville and Smithe streets that sent a man to hospital. Increased patrols will continue this long weekend. 

“What we’ve been dealing with for both Friday and Saturday night in the entertainment districts is really just mostly street disorder that comes from having so many people flood into the downtown core,” he said. “We just want to make sure people are safe and have a good time.”

For clubs and entertainment sector businesses that haven’t seen an active nightlife scene in many months, the weekend brought new hope.

“It’s going to be a bit of a long road I think to full recovery, because we were in a really good place before the pandemic came,” Rigo said. “But I feel more hopeful than I have in two whole years.”