The government is planning to change the law prohibiting minors from setting foot inside entertainment venues ahead of the summer to avoid a repeat of the outcry caused by an alcohol ban at the James Blunt concert last month.
According to the law, places of entertainment which sell alcohol are prohibited for people aged under 17. On April 7, in an unprecedented move, the police interpreted, Legal Notice 124 of 1995, as applying to the concert venue, where alcohol was on sale.
Since the concert was open to under-17s, the organisers were ordered instead to ban the sale of alcohol within the concert precincts, though it was readily available outside.
This angered the promoters of major summer events, such as the jazz and beer festivals, which are family-friendly affairs that not only sell alcohol but are sponsored by alcohol companies. Some are even state-sponsored. “Malta is an exception to the rest of the world,” complained one promoter.
A spokesman for the Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism and Culture said: “Discussions are underway to amend, where necessary, LN124 of 1995 in time for the summer concerts/festivals, to strike a reasonable balance between the interests of adult concert-goers and those of minors, especially where the concert is targeting a family audience.
“It is to be stressed that any amendments will not affect the prohibition of the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 17,” the spokesman added.
What the amendments are expected to do is clarify what is meant by place of entertainment. The Maintenance Of Good Order At Places Of Entertainment Regulations (LN 124 of 1995) partly defines a place of entertainment as any premises, such as a discotheque, licensed for the sale of alcoholic drinks. This could include open air venues.
“Persons under the age of 17 shall not be allowed inside a place of entertainment, and young persons over the age of 17 years shall, prior to admission to any such place, produce and show their identity card to the proprietor,” the law states. The minimum age was revised upwards from 16 to 17 in 2009 to be consistent with the revised minimum drinking age.
Before they cracked down on the James Blunt concert, the police interpreted the restrictions as applying to permanent outdoor clubs. In fact, the idea is to keep the regulation for such clubs but find another arrangement for concerts and festivals, attracting crowds of mixed ages.
The government entities working on the amendments are the Culture Secretariat, the Small Business Secretariat and the Home Affairs Ministry.