Bars hosting Royal National Mod events in Perth next month will allowed to open later, councillors have decided.
Councillors ruled on Thursday that venues hosting events related to the festival will be allowed to serve alcohol until 2am, however they must be inspected beforehand.
The Gaelic language and culture festival, featuring traditional music, poetry and children’s competitions, will take place in the city from October 14-22.
It is expected to draw thousands of visitors.
Three options for Perth councillors over Mod licensing hours
While main Mod competitions and performances will take place at venues like Perth Concert Hall, Perth Theatre and the North Inch Community Campus, Mod Fringe or Feis events will be held in the late evening.
To accommodate this, Perth and Kinross Council has decided to grant a blanket extension of licensed hours for venues hosting Feis events.
Bars normally have to close at midnight from Sunday to Wednesday or at 12.30am from Thursday to Saturday, and an hour later if they are hosting a function.
The extension applies to host venues within the city centre – the area bounded by Caledonian Road, Atholl Street, Tay Street, and Marshall Place.
It will run from the night of Friday October 14 until the early hours of Sunday October 23.
What is the Royal National Mod?
Organised by Scottish Gaelic organisation An Comunn Gàidhealach, the eight-day festival celebrating Gaelic language and culture is held annually in a different Scottish town or city.
It was last held in Perth in 2004, and is expected to bring 7,500 visitors to the region and more than £1 million to the local economy.
There are more than 200 competitions planned throughout the event.
The first half of the week is dedicated to children’s competitions, while the second half is for adults.
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