When service can end, how a liquor licence works, what the bill and the team cost, and the nights that fill the city, for anyone running a club, lounge or bar here.
The province sets the licence and the hours, and the local government has its say on a new licence and its conditions. Liquor licences come from the LCRB.
These are the latest hours a licence can carry, and the LCRB can limit them. The part of the regulation read states no grace period after service ends, and no consumption after it. It gives New Year’s Eve no hours of its own. City of Vancouver hours and noise limits are not confirmed here, so the clock shows only the province’s window.
Generally, every licensee, manager and server needs a Serving It Right certificate.
MoreIt lasts five years. The exam is $40 plus GST and covers three attempts, and certificates from other provinces are accepted.
Source: Government of British ColumbiaDoor security at a licensed room counts as a security guard service, so a bouncer needs a security worker licence.
MoreApplicants are 19 or older. A licence is $60 for 90 days, $120 for one year, $180 for two or $240 for three.
Source: Government of British ColumbiaAn automatic service charge counts as a gratuity. You can’t withhold it, deduct from it or ask staff to hand it back.
MoreYou may collect and redistribute tips among employees, but not to yourself or directors and shareholders, unless you are a sole proprietor or partner doing the same work.
Source: BC LawsA room built around drinking, dancing or shows applies to the LCRB for a liquor primary licence. The application fee is $2,200.
MoreThe first-year licence fee is another $2,200, due when the licence is issued. Renewals are based on annual liquor sales.
Source: LCRBA room that is mainly a restaurant applies for a food primary licence. The application and first-year fee is $950.
MoreIf the local government or First Nation turns the application down, the fee is not refunded.
Source: LCRBThe local government must sign off before the package goes in, then gives its resolution or comments within 90 days of accepting the application.
MoreNeighbours get a chance to comment on the licence type, capacity and hours. A local government can opt out, and then the LCRB runs the public input itself.
Source: Government of British ColumbiaA food primary licence with dancing, karaoke or other patron participation entertainment needs local government or First Nation sign-off.
MoreThe regulation names these as triggers for local consultation. A patron participation entertainment endorsement carries the same sign-off.
Source: LCRBService on a liquor primary or food primary licence starts no earlier than 9 a.m. and ends no later than 4 a.m. the next day.
MoreNobody may consume liquor in the service area once service hours end.
Source: BC LawsThe LCRB’s general manager can limit hours, and local governments can recommend limits on capacity and hours.
MoreLocal governments can also restrict entertainment through bylaws or business licence terms, and then they enforce those themselves.
Source: Government of British ColumbiaSelling alcohol takes the LCRB’s liquor primary licence, with the local government’s sign-off. The path runs in this order.
Research the local government or Indigenous Nation requirements and the requirements for your type of business, then write a Letter of Intent.
Source: LCRBYou need a floor plan with the rooms, bars, patios, dance floor, entrances, stage and sound or DJ booth labelled, and stamped with the occupant load. Add a police information check, a Personal History Summary, a site map with parking and the proposed signage.
Source: LCRBThe application is online and needs a business BCeID. The $2,200 application fee is due when you submit it.
Source: LCRBThe local government signs off before the package goes in, then gives its resolution or comments within 90 days of accepting the application. An extension needs a written request before day 90.
Source: Government of British ColumbiaThe LCRB runs a site and community assessment, then issues an Approval in Principle.
Source: LCRBThe premises are inspected, and the $2,200 first-year licence fee is due when the licence is issued.
Source: LCRBIssued by the LCRB
General information, not legal advice. Laws and licence conditions change and vary by venue. Confirm with the LCRB or the City of Vancouver before acting on it.
How a table’s bill adds up once tax and a service charge are on it, and what guests pay at the door.
| Minimum spend | $1,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Service charge 20%, added by the venue | $200.00 |
| GST 5% of both lines | $60.00 |
| PST on liquor 10% of the spend | $100.00 |
| Guest pays | $1,360.00 |
| Tip the guest chooses to add | No tax |
BC charges 10% PST on liquor sales, including mixed drinks, spirits and wine, on top of 5% GST. The example treats the minimum as liquor.
Source: BC PST on liquorPST is not charged on a mandatory gratuity, because it is not part of the purchase price.
Source: BC PST on liquorThe CRA says a mandatory or suggested amount added to the bill carries GST. The BC-specific treatment of a service charge was not confirmed, so the example follows the CRA’s general rule.
Source: Canada Revenue AgencyBC’s employment law counts an automatic service charge as a gratuity, so it belongs to staff.
Source: BC LawsWhether covers, tickets and table minimums carry PST was not confirmed.
Source: Government of British ColumbiaRough estimates for tickets and bottle-service tables, from public listings and venues’ own pages.
$10 to $30
Typically about $15
What two Vancouver rooms charge on their own pages for Friday and Saturday shows and club nights, before service charges. Some nights are free entry.
$250 to $750
A typical table, about $550
Vancouver clubs quote tables privately, so this is the range Toronto clubs publish for a weekend table, before tax and service. Expect bigger rooms and holiday nights to run higher.
Figures are estimates from the sources and samples listed. They change often and may be wrong. Check with the venue or the relevant authority before relying on them. Venues and events named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide. Price sources: The Roxy, Fortune Sound Club.
Hourly wages for the roles a night runs on, and the rules on tips.
| Role | Range, low to high | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Bartenders$18.25 to $25.00 | $19.00 | |
| Servers$18.25 to $28.21 | $20.00 | |
| Hosts$18.25 to $27.40 | $19.23 | |
| Security and door$18.25 to $34.00 | $23.00 | |
| Cooks$18.25 to $26.00 | $20.00 | |
| Managers$18.25 to $52.88 | $27.69 |
Minimum wage $18.25 an hour, since 1 June 2026Source: Government of British Columbia
Bar: lowest to highest wage reported. Dot: median. Source: Job Bank
An employer can’t withhold gratuities, make deductions from them or ask staff to hand them back.
Source: BC LawsAn automatic service charge the venue adds to the bill counts as a gratuity, so it belongs to staff.
Source: BC LawsEmployers may collect and redistribute tips among employees, but not to themselves or directors and shareholders, except sole proprietors and partners who do substantially the same work.
Source: BC LawsBC’s minimum wage moves each 1 June by the change in the BC consumer price index, rounded to the nearest 5 cents.
Source: Government of British Columbia
The nights that fill a room, or empty it, month by month.
The morning after New Year’s Eve, and a statutory holiday.
The dinner and date crowd. When it falls midweek, couples book the weekend before too.
A holiday Monday, so the Sunday before trades like a Saturday.
One of the year’s biggest bar nights, whatever the weekday.
Good Friday is a statutory holiday; Easter Sunday and Monday aren’t in BC.
A holiday Monday, so the Sunday before trades like a Saturday.
Club shows and the Granville Island site.
Game days at BC Place.
The night before is a holiday eve; when it falls midweek, many take a long weekend.
A long weekend at the height of summer.
Crowds in the city through the end of summer.
Official siteThe last long weekend of summer.
A statutory holiday in BC; near a weekend, it makes a long one.
Game nights fill the Granville strip and Gastown; playoffs follow only if the team qualifies.
A holiday Monday, so the Sunday before trades like a Saturday.
When it falls midweek, the parties run the weekend before.
A statutory holiday; the night before is the eve.
A statutory holiday. Boxing Day isn’t one in BC.
The night before the New Year’s Day holiday.
Vancouver’s nightlife districts and the rooms each is known for.
The densest run of late-licensed clubs, with most of its rooms licensed to 4 a.m.
Cocktail bars and licensed rooms around Water Street.
Restaurant lounges and venues along Pacific Boulevard.
A lounge and a hotel bar on the island, and the jazz festival site.
Hotel lounges and harbour dinner cruises by the waterfront.
Ranked by the person capacity of each room’s indoor service areas on its liquor primary licence in the LCRB’s public list, patios excluded. It is licensed capacity, not fire occupancy, and stadiums, arenas and members’ clubs are left out. The list updates every two weeks.
| Rank | Venue | Nights | Music | Published price | Licensed capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parq VancouverClubDowntown · 39 Smithe StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 5,000 |
| 2 | The Rec Room GranvilleClubGranville Entertainment District · 855 Granville StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 3,082 |
| 3 | Commodore BallroomClubGranville Entertainment District · 868 Granville StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 1,364 |
| 4 | Vogue TheatreClubGranville Entertainment District · 918 Granville StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 1,281 |
| 5 | AurumClubYaletown · 750 Pacific BlvdSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 947 |
| 6 | CelebritiesClubDavie Village · 1022 Davie StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 902 |
| 7 | Good Co. GranvilleClubGranville Entertainment District · 965 Granville StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 799 |
| 8 | The Pearl on GranvilleClubGranville Entertainment District · 881 Granville StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 550 |
| 9 | Upstage LoungeLoungeGranville Island · 1585 Johnston StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 535 |
| 10 | The RickshawClubEast Hastings · 254 E Hastings StSource: LCRB, BC Data Catalogue | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 490 |
Venues named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide. Details come from each venue’s own pages and can change; a venue can ask us to correct or remove its entry.
Who lives in the city. These describe Vancouver’s population, not any venue’s guests.
Sell tickets, take table bookings with deposits, run the guest list and check guests in at the door, in one place. Built for clubs, lounges and bars.
A liquor primary or food primary licence allows service from 9 a.m. to no later than 4 a.m. the next day, and the LCRB can limit those hours. Nobody may consume liquor in the service area once service hours end.
Up to 4 a.m. is the most a licence can carry, subject to limits from the LCRB’s general manager. Local governments can also recommend limits on hours and capacity, so the hours on your own licence may be shorter.
Research the local requirements, write a Letter of Intent, gather a stamped floor plan, a police information check, a Personal History Summary, a site map and signage, then apply online with a business BCeID. The local government signs off and responds within 90 days, then the LCRB runs a site and community assessment, gives an Approval in Principle and inspects the premises.
A liquor primary licence is $2,200 to apply and $2,200 for the first year. A food primary licence is $950 for the application and first year. Renewals depend on annual liquor sales.
A liquor primary licence is for rooms built around drinking, dancing or shows. A food primary licence is for restaurants, and dancing, karaoke or other patron participation entertainment on one needs local government or First Nation sign-off.
Yes. Door security at a licensed room counts as a security guard service, so door staff need a security worker licence. Applicants must be 19 or older, and a licence is $60 for 90 days, $120 for one year, $180 for two or $240 for three.
Generally, all licensees, managers and servers need a Serving It Right certificate. It lasts five years, the exam is $40 plus GST with three attempts, and certificates from other provinces are accepted.
Liquor carries 5% GST and 10% PST. PST is not charged on a mandatory gratuity, because it is not part of the purchase price.
No. BC’s PST guidance says a mandatory gratuity is not part of the purchase price, so no PST applies. Under BC employment law an automatic service charge counts as a gratuity, so it belongs to staff.
Not in general. An employer can’t withhold gratuities, deduct from them or ask staff to hand them back. Tips can be pooled among employees, but not shared with owners or directors, except sole proprietors and partners who do substantially the same work.
$18.25 an hour since 1 June 2026. It rises each 1 June by the change in the BC consumer price index, rounded to the nearest 5 cents.
Job Bank puts the median hourly wage for bartenders in the Lower Mainland-Southwest region at $19, with the range running from $18.25 to $25. Servers have a median of $20 and security staff $23.
VenueStack publishes this guide for general information. We take care to keep it accurate and list our sources and review dates, but we can’t guarantee it is complete, current or correct, and we aren’t responsible for decisions made on it. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, minimums and wages are estimates from the samples described and don’t represent any particular venue. Venues, events and organisations named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Data gathered in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
TorontoOntario, Canada
Closing time and extensions, getting a liquor licence, the City nightclub licence, noise limits, HST on service charges, door licensing, wages, ticket prices and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
MontrealQuebec, Canada
Closing time and Nuits Montréal extended hours, the RACJ permis de bar and its fees, entertainment authorisations, borough noise rules, GST on service charges, tips, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
CalgaryAlberta, Canada
Closing time, the AGLC liquor licence, the City business licence, ProServe and ProTect, noise limits, GST on service charges, door staff, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
