Last call
In a bar, a last call is an announcement made shortly before the bar closes for the night, informing patrons of their last chance to buy alcoholic beverages. There are various means to make the signal, like ringing a bell, flashing the lights, or announcing verbally.
Last call times are often legally mandated and vary widely globally as well as locally. Legislation's purposes include reducing late night noise in the neighborhood, traffic crashes, violence, and alcohol related health problems.
Australia
In New South Wales, there is no specified closing time, but in residential areas, bars are often required to close at midnight. In non-residential areas, some bars are open 24 hours. A six-hour daily closure period applies to new licenses granted from 30 October 2008, which is nominated depending on individual and community circumstances.During a significant part of the early 20th century, bars in Australia and New Zealand were closed at 6p.m. by law. The resulting rush to buy drinks after work was known as the six o'clock swill.
Austria
Bar closing hours in Austria are regulated by the federated states. In most states bars must close at 4a.m. although many places have special permits to close later. In the capital, Vienna, bars and clubs are allowed to stay open until 6a.m. Alcohol is allowed to be served until the bar or club closes.Belgium
There is no legally mandated last call in Belgium; many bars will stay open all night.Brazil
There is no legally mandated last call in Brazil; many bars will stay open all night. Some cities have laws that require bars to close during the early morning hours.Canada
- British Columbia: Last call for serving alcohol is generally 2:00 a.m. provincially. Municipalities may change last call to as early as 12a.m. or as late as 4a.m. if they so choose. Downtown Vancouver's last call was moved to 4:00 a.m. but was subsequently lowered to 3a.m. On New Year's Eve last call is extended to 4a.m. provincewide if food is available to patrons at the premises. Regulated liquor stores can sell off-premises alcohol from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00p.m., with government-operated liquor stores typically closing before 9p.m.
- Alberta: Last call and sale of alcohol from a store or establishment is 2a.m. province-wide. In an establishment, a customer may have no more than two drinks in possession after 1a.m. or last call, whatever comes first. All liquor drinks are to be removed from patron areas by 3:00a.m. at the latest.
- Manitoba: Last call and the sale of alcohol from a store or establishment is 2a.m. province-wide. During special events, establishments are permitted to serve alcohol until 3a.m.
- Ontario: Last call begins at 1:45a.m. and fifteen minutes are allowed for ordering an alcoholic beverage. It is no longer legally permissible to serve alcohol past 2a.m., although the province has the authority to grant waivers to allow closing at 4a.m. during special events. On New Year's Eve, all licensed premises are allowed to serve until 3:00 a.m. In all cases, there is always an added 45 minute "consumption period" allowing patrons additional time to consume their purchases after alcohol sales have ended. Even though licensed establishments are never required to close their doors by a certain time, all alcohol must be removed by the end of the consumption period. Alcohol sales may occur only within regulated stores, which will always close between 9p.m. and 11p.m., depending on the location or the store. Licensed establishments can serve alcohol as early as 9:00 a.m.
- Quebec: Last call is 3a.m. province wide for establishments serving alcohol, while the sale of alcohol from a store is restricted after 11p.m. Bars may allow customers to stay until 4a.m. but may not serve alcohol past 3a.m. Bars across the river from Ottawa close at 2a.m. to match their Ontario counterparts.
- New Brunswick: Sales can start at 11:00 a.m. but must end at 2:00 a.m. the following day. A tolerance period of 30 minutes, beyond 2:00 a.m., is allowed to give patrons time to consume their beverage. At 2:30 a.m. the premises must be vacated.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Last call is 2a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and 3a.m. the rest of the week. There is then a 30 minute "consumption period" before bars must close.
- Nova Scotia: Last call for most establishments is 2a.m., Cabaret businesses are allowed to serve until 3:30 a.m.
- Saskatchewan: Last call is 2a.m. On New Year's Eve, it is extended until 2:30 a.m..
- Northwest Territories; Yukon: Last call is 2a.m., extended to 3a.m. on New Year's Eve.
China
Croatia
Establishments that serve drinks may register as bars and may be open in inhabited areas only indoors and only between 9p.m. and 6a.m., but no such restrictions exist if bars are located outside inhabited areas. Various exceptions can be made for bars located in transit facilities, if approved by the local authorities, etc. The prescribed working hours for bars are a frequent point of contention between city authorities and local businessmen, particularly during the summer tourist season.Finland
Bars are allowed to serve drinks until 1:30 a.m., but a provincial government may at the proprietor's request, grant extensions up to 4a.m. Extensions require the establishment to maintain a higher standard of amenities, service and entertainment by, for example, providing a coat check, entertainment programming such as a DJ or live music, and even general cleanliness and "look and feel" count. The laws were loosened beginning of 2018.A last call is not announced per se, but as a custom, the lights are flashed a few times to notify the customers that serving drinks is over. In Finnish lexicon "valomerkki" has become a common synonym for ending any activities for the night.
Germany
Bar closing hours in Germany are regulated by the federated states or cities. Since the 2000s, many federated states and cities have none or relaxed regulations. In many states and cities bars are open as long as there are customers.Open-air locations such as beer gardens often must close at 11p.m. or 12a.m. to reduce noise pollution. Exceptions may exist for weekends, Carnival and New Year's Eve. Not all cities strictly enforce the regulation.
Greece
In Greece, all bars, cafeterias, clubs and the like will stay open as long as there are customers inside. Usually, cafeterias stay open until 11p.m., bars until 2a.m. and clubs until early in the morning, but there is no last call. In 1994, Stelios Papathemelis, the Minister for Public Order, passed a law mandating closing of all bars at 2a.m. The law was widely unpopular, never materialized fully and was abolished a few years later.India
India closing time of bars vary in different states. In Delhi it is 1am, Mumbai 1:30am, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata at midnight. In Chandigarh it is 1a.m. weekdays and 2a.m. weekends. In Bangalore it is 11:30 p.m. on weekdays and 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.Ireland
Bar closing hours are governed by the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2000. Generally, bars must close at 23:30 Monday to Thursday, 00:30 on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday closing time is 23:00. There are special provisions for certain holidays and festivals. Bars may get an extended license until 02:30 any night.On 25 October 2022, the Government announced a reform of licensing laws in the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022. If passed, the law would permit bars to open until 00:30 every day. "Late bars" would continue to be permitted to open until 02:30, and nightclubs would be permitted to open until 06:00.
Israel
In Israel, there are no specific closing times and the country has liberal alcohol laws. Bars and clubs in entertainment districts will serve alcohol practically 24 hours a day, while in residential districts local regulations apply; establishments that serve alcohol outside may often have to call their guests inside after midnight or even close completely.In 2006, Knesset member Ruhama Avraham attempted to pass a bill in parliament that would forbid selling alcohol between 2 and 6a.m. The bill faced severe resistance from bar and restaurant owners and finally was drawn back.
In Tel Aviv, bars are fined for remaining open past 1a.m. Though few bars actually close at that time, they are forced to pay the "back-door" tax to the municipality, with no recourse to the national government. A number of bars are contemplated closing at the required time and during internationally promoted events such as Gay Pride Week in protest of the city's underhanded hypocrisy in promoting itself as "the city that never sleeps" but also fining the very establishments that make it such a hot tourist spot.
Alcohol is no longer sold around the clock in grocery stores, and no sales are allowed between 11p.m. and 6a.m.
Italy
Italy does not have a legally mandated closing time. Alcohol may be served or sold anywhere 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.In Rome, an ordinance was passed in January 2009 to make 2a.m. the last call in Campo de' Fiori and the neighbourhoods of Trastevere and Testaccio. The new last call time for these areas was initiated to curtail nighttime commotion in those popular parts of Rome.