Bangalore All Set To Go Till 1am On Weekends
5 March 2014
The good news Bangaloreans have been waiting for is finally here.
From 7 March 2014 bars and restaurants across the city are going to be able to stay open till 1am on Fridays and Saturdays for a trial period of 3 months. It's earlier cut-off time of 11pm was a serious dampner on nightlife in a city that was once-upon-a-time known for being the party capital of the country.
For many the move is being seen as the Congress government’s bid to win young voters ahead of the forthcoming general elections, despite the home minister's argument of it being completely independent of any political matter. "We will do this on an experimental basis for three months. The government will review it after three months", he said.
Alarmingly, a sum of Rs 5 Crore has been sanctioned to Bangalore City Police to purchase vehicles and to ensure round the clock movement of police. This is the scary part. Whether this will work or not, only time will tell.
No doubt people are going to welcome the move but can they handle it? We got in touch with the team behind Bangalore venues CounterCulture and The Humming Tree to get their thoughts:
"We are of course thrilled with the deadline extension. As a venue it allows us a lot more freedom to do a gig the right way, without rushing through everything and having to end the night just when the gig is at its best. As a bar it allows everyone to drink more responsibly, without having to rush through the night and in general contribute to a more relaxed evening. It's about time a city like Bangalore gives its citizens a right to a proper night out." - The Humming Tree
The new proposed deadline extension in Bangalore is a welcome relief for the city tagged as a music hub. With this reasonable extension, it gives venues a great opportunity to work on a wider range of programmes. It also means that people can have a drink over an extended period as opposed to the 90-120 minute window which we previously had. Lets hope this 3 month trial period is glitch free." - CounterCulture
Image Credit: Elvin Lonan