Starting at lunch hour on Tuesday, sipping a spiked beverage on three Kelowna beaches will be just fine.
Booze on the beach will be allowed from July 4 to Oct. 6 from noon until 9 p.m., as per a council-approved pilot project.
The city isn’t breaking new ground by letting visitors to Waterfront Park, Kinsmen Park and Boyce Gyro Park sip a cool one.
It’s following in the footsteps of Vancouver, North Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Delta and Port Moody and, closest to home, Penticton.
Penticton’s boozy beaches are something that local police, who will be monitoring the situation closely, are well aware of.
“When Penticton did it last year, that created problems for us because … people just assumed it was like an Okanagan-type thing,” Const. Mike Della-Paolera said.
“So last year, we had to deal with a lot of people who didn’t know the difference between the two city’s rules.”
Now that the rules have changed, Della-Paolera isn’t sure how it will play out.
“The success they’ve had in other jurisdictions has proven that they’re going to continue with this,” he said. “Where this is the first time for us, so we’ll have to see how it plays out.
“Potentially it could be more work but if everybody’s respectful and follows the rules, it should be OK.”
Area residents think it should be OK, too.
“I think it’s a great thing. My husband and I were in Europe a few years back, and we thought it was lovely how after work people would go down to the park, have a beer, and enjoy a conversation and the great outdoors,” Karen Rogers said.
“I think they should allow it here, and I think sometimes when you loosen guidelines, then people don’t take advantage of it.”
Another area resident, Randy Rohrick, said he can’t see how it would hurt.
“I think the key is that it’s monitored,” he said. “There’s a big difference between someone having one or two beers and a group of people getting together for a party.”
Artem Biziaev was a bit less reserved with his review.
“Man, it’s about time,” he said. “As long as people aren’t getting ripped in public, then that’s sick.”
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