March 25, 2026
Provided Image/Eddy Marenco
Philadelphia will host six World Cup games this summer, and Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill to allow bars to stay open to 4 a.m. during the tournament. Teddy Sourias, owner of Center City's Uptown Beer Garden, above, says he hopes to keep the venue open later during the World Cup.
When the World Cup gets underway in June, bar owners in Philadelphia are poised to be able to keep their doors open and serve alcohol until 4 a.m. for the entire tournament.
A bipartisan bill sponsored by state Sens. Joe Picozzi (R-Philadelphia) and Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia and Montgomery) passed the Senate last week and overwhelmingly gained approval from the House in a vote Wednesday afternoon. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) intends to sign the bill, a spokesperson said.
The legislation creates a temporary "Philadelphia 250 Permit" allowing bars, restaurants, distilleries, hotels and nightlife venues to extend their closing times to two hours past the city's 2 a.m. curfew. Businesses that wish to change their hours can submit an application with a $500 fee to be granted a permit. Those that receive permits will be able to operate with extended hours for 40 days from June 11 through July 20.
The push for expanded hours was led in recent months by the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, which commended lawmakers for getting the bill out of the legislature.
"Pennsylvania's hardworking restaurants are eager for new opportunity and have been asking for this kind of practical flexibility, so they can plan responsibly and meet demand during a once-in-a-generation moment for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania to welcome visitors from around the world," PRLA President and CEO Joe Massaro said in a statement.
Restaurateur Teddy Sourias — whose bars include Tradesman's, Finn McCools Ale House and Uptown Beer Garden — said he's excited by the opportunity to extend hours this summer and unite soccer fans. He pictures Sueño, his Mexican restaurant on South 12th Street, possibly becoming a destination for soccer fans.
"It's something that's new, cool and unique, and we can create events around it," Sourias said. "Uptown Beer Garden is set up just for that because we have essentially built a mobile jumbotron for outside. There's TVs everywhere. ... We'll get creative, if this all works out, to push it at each location."
The House passed the bill in a 176-23 vote. State Rep. Mary Isaacson (D-Philadelphia), whose district covers the River Wards and parts of Center City, was one of the lawmakers who opposed the bill. She testified Tuesday that some of her constituents are concerned about bars staying open later.
"These permits are being extended for 40 days — 40 days straight," Isaacson said. "I pulled the FIFA schedule. There's only three nights where a game starts at midnight. All other games start before 10 p.m., so to extend and have bars operating to 4 in the morning just for people to watch and obviously to have a drink after a game, that's quite the extension."
Isaacson said many bars and other venues that could receive permits are in residential areas, and she questioned why the bill does not give residents recourse to challenge a specific permit.
Permits will be issued by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and applicants will be required to post public notices outside their establishments if they intend to extend their hours. The city can protest a permit if a business has outstanding licensing, inspection and fiscal obligations. PLCB also can reject an application if a businesses faces a pending suspension of its liquor license.
All permit applications must be filed with PLCB 30 days before businesses plan to extend their hours. Those who are granted permits will be required to complete a specialized training program covering nighttime safety for staff and patrons.
Philadelphia is hosting six World Cup matches at Lincoln Financial Field, including one knockout-round game on the Fourth of July. The latest start time is the 9 p.m. group stage contest between Brazil and Haiti on Friday, June 19. Another group stage match between Ivory Coast and Ecuador on June 14 starts at 7 p.m. All of the other matches have 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. start times.
The permit program marks the first time city bars will be allowed to extend their hours since the Democratic National Convention came to Philadelphia in 2016. Permits for the political convention were limited to businesses that held special events connected to the DNC. Only about 30 permits were issued and more than half went to hotels.
Sourias said he took advantage of the DNC curfew extension at some of his businesses.
"Even for that, it was worth it for us because we had a lot of events scheduled that we were able to open for," Sourias said.
Philly joins Kansas City among World Cup host cities that will give bars and other businesses the option to extend their hours. PRLA argued the measure will make Philadelphia more competitive with other host cities, including Miami, that already allow later hours for alcohol service.
“As the city prepares for a historic influx of visitors from around the country and world this year, we must ensure our local businesses feel the full economic impact of this momentous occasion,” Hughes said in a statement after the bill passed the Senate last week.
In addition to the World Cup, the permit window will extend through the city's celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary and the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14.
