York axe throwing venue drops bid to sell alcohol – Here’s why

York’s city centre axe throwing venue has withdrawn its bid to sell alcohol to participants.

The Hilt on Goodramgate caused national headlines with its application to allow people to drink during the activity.

Newspapers as diverse as the Guardian and the Sun ran stories about the proposal.

The owners of the Hilt were asking City of York Council to remove conditions which restrict the sale of alcohol until after people have finished their session.

The “immersive Viking axe throwing experience” said they have not had a single accident since opening in September 2019.

It added that people could have a drink at their rival axe throwing venues.

But police were against the plan. “Allowing alcohol before and during the activity sessions could increase the risk of harm to staff, and other customers,” licensing manager Sgt Jackie Booth said.

The proposal was due to be discussed at a licensing hearing this week but it was cancelled after The Hilt withdrew its application.

Director Josh Goodwin told YorkMix why.

“The Hilt team has voluntarily withdrawn our application from consideration, up until the time that we can more completely demonstrate its experience value and public safety,” he said.

“Axe throwing is still a relatively new social/ entertainment concept in the UK, and as one of the country’s first operations, we are no strangers to people asking questions.

“We’ll continue to find ways to promote experiences that encourage fun and social behaviour, in a setting appropriate for the broadest range of people possible.

“We’re grateful for all the feedback and will continue to tune our experience in a way that makes others comfortable.”