A new bill signed by Gov. Maura Healey on Monday that allows bars in Massachusetts to operate one hour past their license limits this summer is being hailed by restaurant and bar owners as a way to showcase Massachusetts to the world.
“People are paying a lot of money to come out and enjoy these games, and we want to be able to say, look … maybe don’t just come because of the FIFA World Cup,” said Jessica Moore, director of governmental affairs for the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “But there’s other reasons to come to Massachusetts, and we want to be able to showcase everything that we have and show that we’re fun too.”
The bill puts Boston’s restaurant and bar services on par with other host cities, which Moore said is important because people should be able to enjoy the World Cup matches from the start to the last whistle. And for local businesses, it’s a “revenue-generating” opportunity, she said.
“We’re on a world stage right now. We have the World Cup here, we have the 250th anniversary of our country, we have the Tall Ships,” said Moore. “There’s a lot going on, so this is a time we should really be able to have a boost in our economy and generate revenue based on the activities that are going on in the communities.”
While the legislation allows bars to serve alcohol as late as 3 a.m., it also lets cities and towns establish designated public alcohol consumption “districts” through July 31.
These public drinking districts would be designated and approved by each municipality.
“This bill will provide more opportunities for people to celebrate with their community for the World Cup and the other exciting events we have happening this summer for MA250,” Healey said in a statement. “It will also support our local businesses and regional economies as they see a surge in visitors.”
Rishi Shukla, co-founder of the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association — which represents residents as well as businesses — agrees that the bill creates an opportunity for local businesses. He said it also “presents an interesting opportunity for us to pilot something that’s different” that could maybe even become more permanent.
“But we certainly want to — wearing the residential hat — make sure that we’ve got something that’s data-driven,” he said. “We’re tracking incidents, we’re tracking noise complaints, sanitation issues, those sorts of things. But also looking at impacts to business, impact to quality of life, impacts to this neighborhood in particular and by extension, the city.”
Shukla, who also serves on the Board of the Downtown Boston Alliance, said he also does not think that every business will exercise the option to stay open an additional hour.
“I’d be surprised if 100% of businesses said we’re definitely going to stay open for an extra hour,” he said. “It may not make sense. They may not have the operational staffing to do that or the security plans to do that.”
For residents, Shukla said the main priority is making sure everyone’s safety is top of mind.
“And that we’re ensuring the quality of life isn’t negatively impacted for anybody, whether you live here or visiting here,” he said. “So that takes a really tight level of coordination between the city and the state, law enforcement, the business community and the residents.”
Moore said while she understands the safety concerns that come with this legislation, restaurant operators “do everything in their power to make sure that folks are safe and that they are operating in a safe way, and we know that they will continue to do that.”
Tourism remains a major driver of the Massachusetts economy. In 2024, the state welcomed more than 52 million visitors who spent more than $24 billion statewide, supporting more than 155,000 jobs and generating more than $2 billion in state and local tax revenue, according to the Healey administration.
“It’s nice that the legislature and the governor are capitalizing off of our economic opportunities and the tourism that’s going to be here this summer, just like other cities and states that have high tourism,” said Moore.
