Looking for Later Last Call to Continue
Gov. Maura Healey wants bars and clubs to be able to stay open later, for longer than just the summer pilot that ends in two weeks.
Trying to shake off Massachusetts’s reputation as “boring” in the presence of international visitors for a host of summer events, the governor and Legislature authorized a temporary, two-month extension of last call for bars in June and July.
The law allowed bars to extend last call an hour beyond their license limit, until 3 a.m. at the latest, and allowed for public alcohol consumption “districts” through July 31. Both required individual municipalities to opt in before the measures could take effect.
Summer Pilot Was Tied to World Cup Events
Lawmakers pitched the bill as a way to make the most of an influx of international visitors this summer for the World Cup held in Foxborough, creating an opportunity for local businesses from increased foot traffic and more spending on later nights.
About six weeks into the experiment, Healey declared she wants it to continue.
“I used World Cup as an experience, as an opportunity to say we should extend bar hours, which we did, and I was glad to see that, so I’d like that to continue,” she said Friday on WEEI sports radio.
Governor Also Supports Happy Hour
She also recently threw her support behind reviving happy hour in Massachusetts.
“It’s about vibe and energy,” she said Thursday. “I’m really focused, as you know, on keeping 20-somethings here, keeping our young people here.”
All around, the governor said the summer — during which Massachusetts has hosted World Cup games, 250th American Revolution celebrations, and the tall ships fleet — has been an “economic boost” for the state.
“I also knew we could pull it off. People like to be negative naysayers about how this whole thing was going to go. We had fantastic public safety, no issues through World Cup, MA 250, now the tall ships,” she said. “We also had great public transit that was working … The happy, energy, vibe, joy, showing off Massachusetts.”
Economic Impact Drives Proposal
She added that she has heard from international visitors that they plan to come back.
People told her, she said, “‘you were welcoming, you were warm, it was fun. We’re coming back. We’re coming back, and we’re going to bring our families back, and maybe this time we’ll get down to the Cape.’ It’s going to have a lasting positive economic impact for our state for sure.”
