World Cup Soccer Fans Await Outdoor Drinking Bill Decision

Soccer super fans could find themselves sipping and strolling in the streets of New York in specially designated entertainment zones during the World Cup thanks to a new bill that is being pushed by Chelsea Assemblyman Tony Simone.

Other states where World Cup games will be played this summer have already granted exemptions to their liquor laws and Simone is racing against the clock to get the exemption passed in NYC before local matches start on June 1.

If the proposed HOST act bill passes, it would allow “entertainment zones” outside pubs and restaurants in New York City. Fans would be able to buy alcoholic beverages from businesses with existing liquor licenses and drink them in the street.

“We want to make sure that New York is ready and prepared to welcome millions of fans and make it a great experience for locals and fans alike,” Jacob Golden, Deputy Chief of Staff for Tony Simone, told Straus News. The bill takes inspiration from Washington and Seattle where, “They ensured as many small businesses and communities across the state would benefit from this,” remarked Golden.

This would “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,” reads the bill proposal. “The real goal of the bill is economic benefit so that small businesses can benefit,” said Golden.

Some concerned citizens worry that the proposal could unleash swarms of beer swilling fans onto neighborhood streets. Current State Liquor Authority regulations require patrons to stay indoors to consume alcoholic beverages purchased there. Golden suggests that outdoor drinking will actually prevent an overconsumption of alcohol and provide a safer environment for the neighborhoods impacted, “You think this will be a wild crazy party time, which is what we want, but with a facilitation of more responsible consumption of alcohol.”

The time constraints for this bill to pass are tight. Governor Kathy Hochul needs the Assembly and the NYS Senate to pass the exemption to the State Liquor Authority regulations.

“Clearly, we’ll have to move fast,” Simone conceded in an interview with Gothamist.

Simone also needs the restaurant industry on his side for this party to commence. The New York City Hospitality Alliance’s lawyer, Robert Bookman, said, “At this late stage, it’s 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,”

Currently, City Council Member and Chair of the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Justin Sanchez introduced a resolution calling on the state to pass and enact the act, marking major progress for the bill, “This sends a strong message that on the local level we have buy in and support and advice from the guys who oversee that our streets are clean,” said Golden. Response in the assembly has been positive, and Golden feels strongly that the bill is well on its way to being approved, ““We’ve gotten a lot of support from folks in our house from upstate to downstate,”

The World Cup will span from June 1st to July 31st, with the final held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. There is an expectation for mass crowds to take up the stools at Manhattan bars and space on the sidewalks. In preparation for this, FIFA is planning on hosting outdoor “fan zones” at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens and at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan. If the bill passes, there will be plenty more areas for people to cheer and boo and drink, safely, in more accessible areas of the city.