Calgary expands alcohol in parks program

Starting Tuesday, Calgarians can crack open a cold one at dozens of parks around the city.

Following a successful 2021 pilot, the City of Calgary’s alcohol in parks program has been expanded, and will now run year-round — even through the winter.

“Calgarians told us they appreciated being able to have a beer or glass of wine in our beautiful park spaces last year; especially those who do not have their own private backyard. We hope this year’s expanded program will encourage more people to connect with family and friends in a natural setting,” said Kyle Ripley, Director of Calgary Parks.

You can book times at designated picnic tables in greenspaces just like last year, however, there are no more time limits, meaning you can sit at a table however long you want between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Tables are booked free of cost and on a first-come first-served basis.

Laura Smith with Calgary Parks says there are still some restrictions on where alcohol is permitted.

“Sometimes people say ‘why can’t we just drink in every single park?'” Smith said. “And there’s two reasons for that. One is, the park would need to be signed, and that would be cost-prohibitive. The other thing is, we do want to respect that people want to keep these areas away from playgrounds. So, none of the areas we have are close to playgrounds.”

In addition, some parks have large picnic sites where you can book multiple tables for larger groups. These can be booked for a fee or on a first-come first-served basis.

But that’s not all, as six City parks will also be designated open areas where you can have liquor anywhere, without restrictions and without a need for booking.

Those parks are Barb Scott Park, Buckmaster Park, Lindsay Park, Southview Off-Leash Area, Tomkins Park and West Baker Park.

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There is a focus on expanding the program to denser communities in Calgary, particularly in the Beltline and surrounding areas, so that people who don’t have backyards can freely and legally enjoy alcohol outdoors as well if they please.

You can go online to book certain sites, and there’s also ample signage in parks where alcohol is allowed, which include QR codes that will take you directly to the booking website.

Smith also says the City only received a couple of complaints last year among over a thousand bookings, and the pilot appeared to be a rousing success.

“Generally, 70 per cent of Calgarians are very supportive of it, people tended to not avoid parks because of alcohol as well, so that was important,” Smith said. “And for participants–we surveyed them–actually over 70 per cent said that they visited parks more, or visited different parks because of the program.”

Smith also says there’s a reminder that public intoxication is not allowed and if you see any problems at a park you can call 311 to report it.

“We are tracking those calls, and if we see more than a few for an area, we are either going to send an officer out or other staff to do education,” Smith said. “And certainly we can issue tickets, or we will take parks that are problematic out of the program completely, if they continue to be problematic.”