Some outdoor concerts could soon go until midnight at London festivals

Some outdoor concerts could soon be allowed to run until midnight at special events in London.

Extending the cut-off time from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. with a grace period of 15 minutes on Fridays and Saturdays is one of several changes being proposed for a new special events policy.

“Knowing we have that extra hour to us if we needed it is wonderful,” said Brad Jones of Jones Entertainment, which operates the annual Rock the Park Music Festival at Harris Park.

The change would affect festivals and concerts at Victoria Park, Harris Park, and Dundas Place.

Jones said it would give Rock the Park some breathing room.

“In case, you know, we have an hour weather delay and we need to go to midnight, you know we would get fined with these silly fines. Whereas, they’re saying, ‘Let’s let you go till midnight,’ and that would be wonderful,” he said.

The head of Family Shows Canada, which operates several festivals at Victoria Park, said he’s not sold on the idea.

“And when it costs me $20 thousand in security, you can imagine my expenses that are running for that extra hour. So I have mixed reactions. I will have to survey my vendors, survey my audio team to see if this is viable for us,” said Doug Hillier.

In the meantime, some who live in neighbourhoods around the downtown are concerned.

“There could be thousands of people that leave those venues, and they flood into residential streets, and by the time they settle out, it’s like you know, could be 2:00, 3:00 in the morning,” exclaimed Anna Maria Vallastro, who lives just off Richmond Row.

Every year, the city plays host to some 160 special events organized by third party operators. But those who rely on the special events policy say it is outdated and challenging to use. Furthermore, the rules change from one location to another.

Coun. David Ferriera, who chairs council’s Community and Protective Services Committee (CAPS), said he supports all but one of the proposed changes.

“I think the 11:00 o’clock hour is already late. So that extra hour does make a big difference, and there’s many, many families between me and Harris Park that will also be going through that. However, most of everything else in the policy update and procedure manual that will see are good positive changes,” he said.

The Special Events Policy Update will be considered by CAPS on Monday.