Cavendish council approves expanded licensed area for country festival

The Cavendish Beach Music Festival has cleared the municipal hurdle for some changes to how alcohol is served on the festival grounds.

The Cavendish resort municipality council on Monday night voted in favourof two changes.

• Extending the closing time 15 minutes to 11:15 p.m.
• Switching most of the site to a wet/dry area, rather than having a specific licensed area.

Whitecap Entertainment, the festival organizers, said the later closing would allow for staggered closing time and a more orderly exit of concert-goers from the site.

The grounds would still include an alcohol-free area. Whitecap had proposed 30 by 30 feet. Council countered with space for 500 people, as determined by the fire marshal. It also asked for measures to guard against underage drinking.

Changes will be reviewed

Council chair Matthew Jelley said council reviews how the festival operates every year, and this is no different.

"If there are significant issues, or things come up that are unexpected, it will certainly be part of the review for next year," Jelley said. "We're going to make changes and we're going to continue to improve the festival."

The final decision on the changes will be made by the P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission.

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