Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter!

D.C. Bars allowed to open at 7 a.m. for World Cup

Excited for the upcoming FIFA World Cup but worried about where you’ll watch the games? Don’t worry, the D.C. City Council has your back.

Last Tuesday, the City Council passed legislation that will allow district bars and restaurants to open as early as 7 a.m. during the month-long international soccer tournament that runs from June 11 to July 11. Because the tournament is being held in South Africa, some games will start as early as 7:30 a.m., local time.

Interested establishments must apply for a “substantial change” to their liquor licenseĀ  by sending a letter to the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration no later than June 9. Approved applicants will also be required to pay what ABRA spokesperson Cynthia Simms called, “a small fee.”

Applicants are required to be in compliance with their individual voluntary agreements, which are made between individual bars and restaurants and their corresponding Area Neighborhood Commissions or other citizen or civic association.

Voluntary agreements often include stipulations pertaining to an establishment’s hours, and before a bar or restaurant can receive the go-ahead to open early from ABRA, it must first receive approval for a substantial change to its voluntary agreement from the agreement’s other parties.

Once the application period is completed, Simms said that a list of approved establishments will be handed over to Metropolitan Police for enforcement.

But don’t get excited at the prospect of a couple of beers before your internship starts. Even though bars will be allowed to open early, their liquor serving hours will remain the same.

More to Discover
Donate to The GW Hatchet