The Big Apple may soon be making some\u00a0pour\u00a0changes to its outdoor drinking policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s hardly a better combo than catching a game of ball and publicly guzzling booze, so suggests a newly introduced bill aimed at implementing \u201centertainment zones\u201d \u2014 designated hotspots where soccer buffs can freely consume alcohol on NYC streets \u2014 during the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bill, issued last week, seeks authorization from the New York Senate, the Assembly, and Governor Kathy Hochul to allow bars and restaurants with existing liquor licenses to serve adult beverages outdoors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A new bill pushes for the permission of New York-area bars and restaurants to sell beer and cocktails outdoors during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Getty Images<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an effort towards accommodating the influx of sports fans who\u2019ll be flocking to the area for the upcoming five-week face-off, kicking off with a match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If approved, merrymakers would be allowed to openly down cocktails and brews within the confines of the entertainment \u2014 or \u201csip and stroll\u201d \u2014 zones demarcated\u00a0throughout the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tri-state region will be hosting eight World Cup matches, with around 1.2 million visitors expected to travel here during the tournament,\u201d reads the bill<\/a>, sponsored by Assemblymember Tony Simone, a Manhattan Democrat.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill would allow municipalities to better accommodate these tourists, spur economic development, and enhance this once in a lifetime experience for New Yorkers and visitors from around the world, just as other host states have done,\u201d the document insists.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill will not only benefit World Cup fans,\u201d continues the push, \u201cbut also the restaurant and hospitality industry, nonprofit organizations, and local and state governments in New York through the expected increase in revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n Money talks. But should drinkers walk?\u00a0<\/p>\n Per Simone\u2019s measure, sports fans would only be permitted to openly imbibe in designated \u201centertainment zones\u201d around NYC and beyond. REUTERS<\/p>\n Proposals\u00a0to permit al fresco imbibing<\/a>\u00a0have previously been nixed by the powers-that-be of NYC. In fact, during former Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 tenure (2022-2025), NYPD officers\u00a0issued nearly 10,000 fines<\/a>\u00a0to street drinkers in 2023 alone, enforcing efforts to\u00a0enhance the quality of life<\/a>\u00a0for the community at-large.\u00a0<\/p>\n But rather than granting revelers an open-ended pass to publicly partake in perpetuity, Simone\u2019s bill, predicated on\u00a0legislation recently passed<\/a>\u00a0in Washington state, comes with specific parameters.\u00a0<\/p>\n The doc argues that outdoor liquor service would take effect from \u201cJune 1st, 2026 and [end] July 31st, 2026 while setting requirements for enclosures, sharing of spaces, safety, sanitation and\u00a0worker operations.\u201d<\/p>\n During the submitted timeframe, a total of eight soccer matches will be held at New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium, located just minutes outside of midtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n The FIFA World Cup will include matches between professional soccer teams around the world. Getty Images<\/p>\n But time isn\u2019t necessarily on Simone\u2019s side.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n To get the green light ahead of the tournament, he\u2019d need the approval of the state Legislature and Gov. Hochul, as well as\u00a0\u00a0individual municipalities, such as New York City. The State Liquor Authority would also have to sign off on individual entertainment zones prior to their establishment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aClearly, we\u2019ll have to move fast,\u201d Simone told Gothamist. \u201cIt actually is a more controlled way of ensuring that small businesses can take advantage of the World Cup coming to New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n The potentially positive outcomes notwithstanding, an attorney for the New York City Hospitality Alliance, which represents the bar and restaurant industry, isn\u2019t too optimistic about the bill\u2019s FIFA future.\u00a0<\/p>\n The FIFA World Cup is set to commence on June 11, with several matches taking place in NYC\u2019s neighboring state of New Jersey. FIFA via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cAt this late stage, [it\u2019s] not realistic that it will be passed by both houses, signed by the governor and then implemented where NYC could request a special outdoor area to be reviewed by the [State Liquor Authority], all in the next three months,\u201d said Robert Bookman, the alliance\u2019s lawyer.\u00a0<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on Simone\u2019s bill, per Gothamist, but confirmed that, \u201cGov. Hochul will review any bill that passes both houses of the Legislature.\u201d<\/p>\n