Police attempts to remove alcohol from Tauranga's Christmas in the Park is being met by fierce resistance from organisers who believe there are no issues of intoxication at the family-friendly event.

The two parties voiced their opinion regarding an on-site special licence at yesterday's District Licensing Committee meeting ahead of the December 20 event at Blake Park.

BOP Brewery Limited director Glen Meikle during yesterday's District Licensing Committee hearing. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

It is the vision of event organiser Rachelle Duffy and BOP Brewery Limited director Glen Meikle to continue providing local craft beer and wine at the event for the third year running.

Since 2012, the event has held a liquor licence for a separate bar area – both at the vacant site next to Zespri International and then at Blake Park. During this time the event has grown in popularity, with numbers growing from 3000 to 25,000.

But Western Bay of Plenty Police alcohol harm reduction co-ordinator Sergeant Nigel McGlone says police question the necessity for alcohol at such events.

He adds that with the majority who attend the event under-18, the ever-increasing size of the bar area - a third of the proposed site - is also a concern.

'Why should it (alcohol) be anywhere at an event like that when there are so many under age people and it's family friendly?” asks Nigel.

'Why expose people to something that they don't have to be?”

Glen concedes the jump in crowd numbers meant the bar area became overcrowded last year – a situation not helped by 90 per cent of the food stalls being inside the designated area.

Organisers have since responded by increasing the size of the venue and the area where liquor can be served, as well as shifting 16 food stalls out of the bar area.

With up to 2000 people in the designated area at any one time there will be four duty managers on the bar and up to 20 certified security guards.

He adds meetings with police prior to this week's hearing saw them agree to reducing the bar's opening hours by one hour.

'I think it's a great event and it's probably a shame the police weren't there last year to see it,” Glen says.

'25,000 people coming through - it just shows this town needs something like this with everyone embracing it.”

Also in the pairs' corner supporting the application is Hospitality NZ regional manager Alan Sciascia, who says having alcohol at the event is 'entirely appropriate” given there is no evidence that supports heavy intoxication at previous events.

Glen says even with last year's crowd of 25,000, he only sold six kegs of beer - the equivalent of one drink for every 20 adults.

He says: 'We have always had a separate bar area which was undesignated which means anyone could go into it, but if you didn't want to then, hey, you didn't have to.”

The committee will deliver its decision early next week.