Liquor ban around Dunedin stadium for Fleetwood Mac

Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Ian Paulin said this would be the first time a liquor ban would be in place for a concert at the stadium. Photo / Getty Images

A liquor ban will be imposed around Forsyth Barr stadium when Fleetwood Mac returns to Dunedin on Saturday after police faced problems when Six60 performed earlier this year.

Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Ian Paulin said this would be the first time a liquor ban would be in place for a concert at the stadium.

Police asked for the ban after they encountered problems outside the Six60 concert in March.

Police had a lot of problems with people "drinking right to the gate", Paulin said.

who is excited to see Fleetwood Mac live under the roof this Saturday? Get all your need to know concert info here: https://t.co/acfKnUurkB pic.twitter.com/6NitM6GpHq

— Forsyth Barr Stadium (@ForBarrStadium) September 16, 2019

Police made the decision after a joint debrief which included Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive Terry Davies.

"One of the ways we can mitigate that risk is to push that drinking back a bit" added Paulin.

There would be signage informing people about the ban and rubbish bins around the zone to discourage littering.

Anyone caught flouting the ban could be issued a fine of $250 and could even face arrest in extreme cases.

He added that people who showed up to the concert intoxicated - a common occurrence - would be refused entry by stadium security.

Stadium security would assess people for signs of drunken behaviour as they walked up to the gates and queued up.

"[That's] the good thing about having a queue", Paulin said.

It is estimated about 30,000 will attend the concert.