Ever since our last newsletter announcing that we wouldn’t be allowing any off-site alcohol at this year’s Piknic Electronik, we’ve been inundated by numerous reactions from our many regulars.

Despite all the criticism and the talk of ulterior motives, we still maintain that our initial decision was fundamentally inspired by our desire to preserve the spirit and atmosphere of the entire event while ensuring the security of the thousands of people who attend Piknic every Sunday.  We haven’t changed our minds on this front, and it still remains our priority.

That said, we’ve also taken the time to read every one the comments expressed.  Among all the messages received, the argument that keeps coming up most often, and the one that we’ve always affirmed as justified, was the one put forth by the many good Piknicers who felt it unfair to pay such a steep price for the excesses of a few bad seeds.  Even though we had the best of intentions, it looks like we under-estimated the number of people who have come to enjoy the pleasures of picnicking moderately and in good taste with friends, along the lines of Piknic’s founding philosophy.

This is why we’ve come up with a solution that reconciles the desires and freedom of Piknicers while preserving Piknic’s original spirit: we’re allowing people to bring their own alcohol, if accompanied by an actual picnic* – and chips are not a meal, as we all know!  Outside alcohol will be strictly limited per person to 750ml of wine (one bottle) OR the equivalent of 1.1 litres of beers (3 small cans of 355ml or 2 tall cans of 500ml, etc). It is still prohibited to bring hard liquor.

We remind you that our initial point still holds: to distance ourselves, and the many peaceful Piknicers who show up every Sunday, from those who come merely for excess and confuse our events with Spring Break. 

And above all else we hope that this solution encourages more people to bring food onsite and continue this Piknic tradition.

Happy Piknicing!  Bon appetit!  And we look forward to seeing you once again under the Calder on Sunday, May 23 for the launch of a new season!

*Picnic, by Wikipedia:

In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event, and usually in summer.

Picnics are often family-oriented but can also be an intimate occasion between two people, or a large get-together such as company picnics and church picnics. It is also sometimes combined with a cookout, usually a form of barbecue ; either grilling, braising, baking, or a combination of all of the above.

Some picnics are a potluck, an entertainment at which each person contributed some dish to a common table for all to share. When the picnic is not also a cookout, the food eaten is rarely hot, instead taking the form of deli sandwiches, finger food, fresh fruit, salad, cold meats and accompanied by chilled wine or champagne or soft drinks.