Despite\u00a0Warehouse on Watts recently nabbing a special permit for the World Cup that allows it to extend its hours to 4 a.m., the music venue in North Philly announced Wednesday that it will be closing for most of the summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bar and nightclub at\u00a0923 N. Watts St.\u00a0said\u00a0it plans to spend time working “behind the scenes”\u00a0from July 1 to the second week of September.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00a0New Fika Fan Lounge in Fashion District offers free indoor space for tourists and shoppers to chill out<\/a><\/p>\n Warehouse on Watts did not provide a specific reopening date, but rock band Sparta is scheduled to play there Sep. 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We’re using the season to recharge, reset and get ready for what’s next. When the doors reopen, we’ll be back with fresh energy and a few surprises,” the venue wrote in a social media post<\/a> announcing the news. “We’ll return the second week of September locked, loaded, and ready to go.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Warehouse on Watts did not immediately return a request for comment on the closure.\u00a0<\/p>\n The venue, which opened in the late 2010s, features a bar downstairs and a nightclub upstairs where DJs and other house musicians perform. It was previously Club 923, which was primarily a space for teens.\u00a0<\/p>\n Warehouse on Watts\u00a0is one of more than 35 bars and restaurants that have been\u00a0approved<\/a>\u00a0for a Philadelphia 250 permit from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which lets bars stay open until 4 a.m. \u2014 two hours past the city’s normal 2 a.m. curfew. State lawmakers approved legislation<\/a> for the temporary permits in March as a way to accommodate international fans coming to Philly for the World Cup. It’s the first time bars have been able to stay open that late since permits were issued when the city hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2016.<\/p>\n In total, 65 spaces sought a permit and some are still being reviewed. The permits are good through July 20, when bars will need to resume normal hours.<\/p>\n The timing of the closure is a bit unusual, seeing as the venue won’t be open for July 4 weekend, when the city celebrates the semiquincentennial and hosts a World Cup match. However, that’s the last game scheduled in Philadelphia, meaning tourism will likely die down in the weeks that follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n