Northern Ireland Christmas Licensing Hours
Over Christmas, the times you can sell alcohol on licensed premises in Northern Ireland is different to the rest of the year.
Licensed premises include businesses such as bars, restaurants, hotels and theatres who hold a licence to sell alcohol or ‘liquor licence’. Alcohol may normally be sold from 11:30am to 11pm, or on Sundays from 12:30pm to 11pm. Some licensed premises have a ‘late licence’ that normally allows them to sell alcohol as late as 1am or with further additional permitted hours until 2am, instead of the usual limit of 11pm.
Christmas licensing hours 2022
The permitted hours that licensed premises can sell alcohol during the Christmas period are:
Christmas Eve, 24 December 2022 (Saturday)
Licensed premises can sell alcohol from 11:30am to 11pm, those with a ‘late licence’ may sell alcohol until midnight. Off-licences may sell alcohol from 8am to 11pm.
Christmas day, 25 December 2022 (Sunday)
Licensed premises may only sell alcohol from 12:30pm to 10pm, even if they hold a late licence. Off-licences are not allowed to sell alcohol at all.
Boxing Day, 26 December 2022 (Monday)
Licensed premises may sell alcohol from 11:30am to 11pm, and those with a late licence may sell alcohol until 1am, or with further additional permitted hours until 2am. Off-licences may sell alcohol from 8am to 11pm.
New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2022 (Saturday)
Licensed premises may sell alcohol from 11:30am to 11pm, and those with a late licence may sell alcohol until 1am or with further additional permitted hours until 2am. Off-licences may sell alcohol from 8am to 11pm.
Source: nibusinessinfo.co.uk
