The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has today welcomed plans to extend pub opening hours for the VE Day 75 celebrations.
Under the proposals, pubs, clubs and bars which are licensed to trade until 11pm could be allowed to open until 1am on both Friday 8 May and Saturday 9 May 2020, when VE Day 75 takes place. Friday 8 May will also be a public holiday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
The decision comes after the BBPA wrote to the Home Office, requesting extended hours for VE Day 75 so the nation could come together in the pub to make the most of the celebrations.
The BBPA has also worked with the organisers of VE DAY 75 to create a toolkit for pubs, advising them on how they can get their pub involved in the celebrations.
Extended pub hours for previous national occasions include the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the most recent football World Cup, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
David Wilson, Director of Public Affairs, commented:
“In 1945, VE Day would have been celebrated in pubs up and down the country. VE Day 75 will be a wonderful opportunity for the nation to commemorate and celebrate the occasion in the great British pub.
“It is wonderful news that licensing hours for pubs are being extended as part of this special weekend. It will be greatly welcomed by people looking to celebrate the occasion and remember those who gave so much during the war.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
David Wilson, Director of Public Affairs: 020 7627 9151/ 07557 405 815
Nick Lawrie, Digital Communications Manager: 020 7627 9156/ 07824 359 013
Adam Beazley, Communications & Campaigns Officer: 020 7627 9155 / 07507 836 708
Notes to editors:
About BBPA:
The British Beer & Pub Association is the leading body representing Britain’s brewers and pub companies. The Association is more than a century old and was originally founded as the Brewers’ Society in 1904. Our members account for some 90 per cent of beer brewed in Britain today, and own around 20,000 of the nation’s pubs.
About VE Day 75:
When VE Day dawns on 8th May 2020 it will be 75 years since the guns fell silent at the end of the war in Europe. Years of carnage and destruction had come to an end and millions of people took to the streets to celebrate peace, mourn their loved – ones and to hope for the future, but not forgetting those still in conflict.
The 75th anniversary will provide our nation, and our friends around the world, with an opportunity to reflect on the enormous sacrifice, courage and determination of people from all walks of life who saw us through this dark and terrifying period. To commemorate this important time we are organising VE Day 75, a three-day international celebration that will take place from 8th May to 10th May 2020.
To find out more about VE Day 75 visit https://www.veday75.org/