PUBS and nightclubs will be able to serve alcohol until 2am under plans by Stormont ministers to significantly relax Northern Ireland's licensing laws.
They will be able to serve alcohol for an extra hour almost every Friday and Saturday, and drinking-up time will be extended to an hour – meaning venues can operate until 3am.
All restrictions around Easter drinking will also be removed.
Currently, alcohol can only be served between 5pm and 11pm on Good Friday and bars stop serving at midnight on Holy Thursday and Easter Saturday.
Licensed venues will be able to host functions attended by young people under 18, such as teenage discos, as the law will be changed to allow them to remain after 9pm provided no alcohol is available.
Sports clubs currently cannot supply alcohol anywhere other than within the physical registered club premises, unless an occasional licence is granted to either a pub, hotel or restaurant licence holder.
The new plans will allow the clubs to extend the area of their premises within which they can lawfully supply alcoholic drinks six times a year.
Licensing rules will be tightened in other areas, such as the current voluntary code of practice for drinks promotions being replaced with legal requirements.
The sale of alcoholic drinks via self-service and vending machines would also be prohibited.
The plans have been agreed by the executive and will be included in a bill to be brought to the assembly. If approved, the new rules could be in place by early next year.
It has been eight years since Stormont first began consulting on plans to change the north's licensing laws.
Hospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill said the plans would be the "most significant change to licensing laws in a generation".
He said it was an "important development at a time when the industry is facing significant challenges as a result of coronavirus".
Communities minister Carál Ní Chuilín said she believed the proposals "represent a balanced package of measures aimed at tackling alcohol misuse and promoting responsible consumption, whilst providing vital support for the hospitality industry".
"This support is needed now more than ever as the industry begins its recovery from Covid-19," she added.
"The changes will also enable local drinks producers to sell their products directly to the public in limited circumstances, make changes to the law affecting registered private clubs and allow changes to permitted hours at major events, such as last year's Open golf championship.
"The amendments will also include new restrictions on advertising of alcoholic drinks and introduce a statutory code of practice on responsible retailing."
