The rotisserie is too big to fit on my apartment patio!

August 12, 2013 10:49 AM

My friends and I want to roast a whole pig. We live in Vancouver, and none of us have a yard. What other spaces would accommodate a very large grill for 6+ hours cooking time, and for ~30 people to eat it afterward? Bonus points if it also allowed for alcohol.

We're not interested in getting a catering company to roast the pig for us, and we've found pretty good sources for the grill and the pig already. Thanks in advance!

posted by beepbeepboopboop to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

You can reserve a park in Vancouver if you want, although you may not need to with your group size. It looks like alcohol is banned though.
posted by Snazzy67 at 11:05 AM on August 12, 2013

There's a fire ban in effect for Coastal BC right now. And Vancouver has strict bylaws about non-standard barbecues and fires. Can you please clarify whether you have access to an official barbecue that you could bring with you? It would have to fit a pig.

Also, I seem to recall that there was some sort of bylaw around roasting an animal, such as a pig, unless it was for religious reasons. There was an article in the paper a few years ago, but I can't dig it up with any of my search terms.
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 11:07 AM on August 12, 2013

Craigslist?
posted by resurrexit at 11:09 AM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'd suggest adding one more person to the party - somebody with a yard.
posted by COD at 11:40 AM on August 12, 2013 [6 favorites]

It looks like if you book picnic space you can bring your own barbecue and there's no limit on size except for at Maple Grove Park:

From here:

Allowed equipment and barbecues
You may bring a barbecue, one small table, blankets, and lawn chairs
Your barbecue must be 75 cm from the ground and full clean up after you are finished is required
Coals must be doused with cold water and removed
If there is an extreme fire warning you cannot use charcoal (propane only)
No barbecues are allowed on the sandy beach areas, and no fires are allowed at any time
Note that there are many tables available on a first-come, first-serve basis in Vancouver's parks that can be used for picnics. You may not need to bring a table.

More info on picnics.

But yeah, no alcohol. Chances are there won't be any place you can legally bring alcohol that is also a public area. Your best bet if you really want both of those things is to rent a private outdoor space that will let you barbecue as well as get a liquor licence and consume alcohol on site. One place that I know of that you *might* be able to do this and it wouldn't be exorbitantly expensive is the Vancouver Maritime Museum (disclosure, I once worked there, but that's why I know what they have). No idea what the rental fee is, though, but the terrace there is really amazing.
posted by urbanlenny at 12:46 PM on August 12, 2013

Provincial parks allow the consumption of alcohol within your campsite. I haven't been able to pin down whether that applies to group sites or not. Mount Seymour is pretty close and you can contact the facility operator to enquire about alcohol consumption in their group site. They may also have a couple of double sites situated next to each other that would accommodate your party numbers. You'll probably be out of luck though for availability until after school starts.

Also check around for organisations renting reception space to weddings; most of them can arrange for event liquor licences and many have outdoor BBQ areas.
posted by Mitheral at 3:01 PM on August 12, 2013 [1 favorite]