On Saturday the 11th, the State Government enforced a new policy on pop-up bars, restricting them to three weeks of operations, with the exception of “exceptional” cases. The policy also states that the pop-up bars need to be related to a specific “bona fide” event. Some are understandably a bit pissed about this decision, however it highlights the fact that there are some “pop-up” bars that have taken the piss (pun intended). Specifically, pop-up bars that have been applying for multiple adjacent “occasional licenses” to continue operating, when there is barely a reason or event for their existence. When you consider that established pubs and clubs have far stricter regulations, then it’s a bit of an uneven playing field, if the pop-up bars are able to run under far more relaxed guidelines, whilst taking a portion of the pub and club action from the established venues who do play by the rules.

Pop-up bars are definitely a cool thing to see in Perth. They’re lively, they’re usually pretty funky and cute, and this makes for awesome Insta-moments, which, whether you believe it or not, can actually help to attract people to Perth. Novelty pop-up bars can also entice people to come into the city on nights out, adding to the vibrancy of the Perth nightlife. However awesome they may be though, they definitely need to be controlled in a way that doesn’t marginalise the hospitality scene in Perth – so I think the new regulations are definitely a good thing. If everyone plays by the rules, then every venue has the opportunity to provide a real experience for the party crowd – and that will be great for EVERYONE