Published
Wed, Jul 7, 2021, 23:00
- The move aims to help businesses recover after a challenging year.
24-hour party zones might be coming to New York City.
Ariel Palitz, senior executive director at the Office of Nightlife, has recommended the city allow nightlife establishments in certain neighbourhoods to stay open all night long. Currently, New York licensing rules prohibit venues from selling alcohol past 4 AM.
First mentioned in the NYC Mayors Office For Nightlife Report 2018-2021 published last month, Palitz's proposal is inspired by cities such as Berlin where venues can apply for 24-hour licenses. Her suggestion, if implemented, aims to support businesses that have been struggling to keep the lights on since the pandemic.
"Everything is on the table right now," Palitz told WCBS. "We are recommending this as a pilot to identify areas where 24-hour use might be appropriate; new licenses that are committed to hosting community programming in exchange for this allowance in certain areas have proved wildly successful."
For more on New York nightlife, read our feature about the return of parties.