Licensed Premises at Appleby Horse Fair

The licensed premises in the Appleby and Kirkby Stephen areas who open prior to and during the Fair have agreed to operate with restricted hours where premises will open at 12 midday, cease serving at 11pm and close at 11.30pm. There is a full list contained on this page of all licensed premises within the Appleby and Kirkby Stephen areas showing whether they are open or closed.

The Licensed premises, as part of a voluntary agreement, will also serve only in plastic glasses, provide extra staff which may in some cases be S.I.A. Security Officers to ensure the volume of persons waiting to be served is kept as short as possible and also regularly clear rubbish from outside of their premises. The aim of the voluntary agreement is to ensure the safety of customers and staff and to reduce the pressure on Cumbria Police. 

On Licence premises have agreed to restrict their hours of operation from 12.00 midday to 11pm.  For more information please see the list of premises that are open contained in the link at the bottom of the page.

Off Licence premises have agreed to restrict their opening hours till 10pm daily during the period of the Fair and will not sell beer or cider in glass bottles. 

The Off Licence premises are listed as follows:

  • The Spar at Murgatroyds Garage on North Road in Kirkby Stephen.
  • The Spar on High Street in Kirkby Stephen.
  • The Co-Op on Redmayne Road in Kirkby Stephen.
  • The Spar on Boroughgate in Appleby.
  • The Co-Op on the Sands in Appleby.

Street Drinking and the Public Spaces Protection Order

On street drinking will only be allowed to take place on The Sands area of Appleby whilst there is a road closure in place from 12.00 midday to 6pm. The Sands is a large area and will provide a safe environment for those who wish to enjoy a drink purchased from the Grapes Inn.  Following the cleaning and re-opening of the Sands, alcohol consumption will NOT be permitted in the street.

There will be no other areas where on street drinking will be permitted. Any licensed premises which have a beer garden will have a wall or a barrier to define the limit of the drinking areas. If you do take your drink outside of the licensed area you may find that the licensed premises staff will request that you return to the licensed area.

A Public Spaces Protection Order was introduced in 2018 by the local authority covering Penrith, Alston, Kirkby Stephen and Appleby which allows the police to deal with street drinking likely to cause anti-social behaviour.  Please be aware that members of the public who try to consume alcohol outside of licensed areas may have their alcohol confiscated by the Police. 

On Licences - Drinking Up and Closing Times

Licensed Premises have voluntarily agreed to stop alcohol sales at 11pm. They have also agreed to ensure that their premises are cleared by 11.30pm – this will give customers a satisfactory amount of time to finish off their drinks comfortably and leave the premises. Police may visit the licensed premises at 11.30pm to ensure that all customers leave the premises safely.

If you require clarification of the above please contact the Westmorland & Furness Council Licensing Section on 01768 212148 or email admin.licensing@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk