Will keeping Philly bars open later during the World Cup be worth it? Philly bars weigh in.

Philadelphia bar legend Fergus “Fergie” Carey is not keeping his bars open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup, despite a new special permit allowing bar owners like himself to do so.

“People think there will be some kind of ‘magic money.’ We’ll open till 4 a.m., it supposedly will be much busier, and everybody will magically have an extra $200 in their pocket,” said Carey, a decades-long proprietor of Fergie’s Pub and Monk’s, as well as the newly minted Monto, among others.

The Philadelphia 250 Permit will allow eligible Philly bars to stay open until 4 a.m. between June 11 and July 20, when the 2026 World Cup comes to town and the city celebrates the country’s 250th birthday. An estimated 1.5 million tourists will descend upon the city this summer, and Philly is projected to see a 4.5% increase in global travel to the city compared with 2025’s year-over-year declines in travel.

Supporters of the permit are billing the opportunity as a generational moment to capitalize on the throngs of tourists, many coming from cities with later bar hours, who are looking to party later into the night. One lawmaker introduced a bill in the Pennsylvania House to expand the permit to all 67 counties of the state.

“We already have a 24-7-365 operation, so this is a natural fit for us,” said Jake Joyce, senior vice president of marketing at Live! Casino & Hotel.

Larger crowds and many solo travelers lead analysts to assume tourists in Philly are ready to spend money this summer. However, some local bar owners and industry insiders, like Carey, are not fully sold on the idea of later bar hours, looking at higher insurance premiums and questioning whether the return on investment will materialize.

While liquor liability insurance is not required under state liquor code, many bars still get coverage, as going without it means they can be on the hook for drunk drivers, property damage, or bodily injury caused by intoxicated customers.

Liability is already a buzzword within the bar industry, said Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association.

“I know a bar owner whose business is getting sued because somebody went to another bar much later after they were at his bar, and something happened at that other bar,” Carey said. “And now, he’s getting sued along the way.”

Bar owners getting the Philadelphia 250 Permit must weigh whether to update their liability policy for extended hours, which would raise premiums, or go without it every night from 2 to 4 a.m., said Philadelphia liquor law attorney Bill Morrin, who has represented bar owners in the city for decades.

Morrin is advising all his clients not to apply for the permit for two reasons. Operating later can draw nuisance issues to the surrounding area, which can attract crackdowns from the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections and other enforcement agencies. More important, Morrin said, most car accidents and drunken driving crashes occur after midnight, and most deaths occur after 2 a.m.

“Now, you’re extending hours until 4 a.m. The likelihood of a claim against you has increased exponentially,” Morrin said. “Is it really worth it for those two extra hours?”

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is aware of the potential liability hurdle and encourages licensees to consult with their attorneys or insurance companies, a spokesperson said.

“A licensee’s expansion of the scope of its business operations, including extension of hours of alcohol service, would likely have the potential to impact the amounts and/or costs of liability insurance,” a PLCB spokesperson said.

Mark Prinzinger, co-owner of soccer-centric venue Lion Sports Bar, said insurance is one of the primary operating costs of running a bar, and raising premiums is certainly not something bar owners are looking to do. But he said that while he and his co-owner have to navigate red tape, creating a space for fans from all over the world is well worth it. During the 2025 Club World Cup, when Brazilian clubs played games at Lincoln Financial Field, Brazilian fans stood shoulder to shoulder in Prinzinger’s Chinatown bar late into the night.

“We were packed every single night, and my goodness, the fans love to party,” Prinzinger said. “I love the energy. Everyone was singing and cheering. I can’t wait to see a sea of bright yellow in Lion Sports Bar this summer.”

Now it’s a waiting game to see how crowds respond to later bar hours, Carey and others said. Some bars that cater to larger sports-friendly crowds and bars located in or near hotels may be uniquely poised to capitalize on this nightlife moment, Moran said.

“The Center City hotel lobby bars are going to do better than your average corner bars in various parts of Philadelphia, with World Cup fans staying in Center City hotels and easily walking down to a bar late at night,” Moran said.

Though it is not in Center City, Joyce said South Philadelphia’s Live! Casino & Hotel is leaning into the allure of an all-in-one experience. For a venue within walking distance from where the World Cup matches are played, housing 200 hotel rooms, and having a 52-foot LED screen in its sports bar, Joyce said, applying for the Philadelphia 250 Permit was a “no-brainer.”

“There’s a real convenience factor that hotel bars offer that standalone venues simply can’t replicate,” Joyce said. “When fans are staying on property, the last thing they want to do after a big match is navigate people and traffic congestion across the city to keep the night going.”

Prinzinger’s Chinatown bar will enjoy the benefits of Center City proximity, but is laying the groundwork now to make sure Lion Sports Bar is front of mind as a late-night soccer venue. The bar recently began regular karaoke on Wednesdays through Fridays until 1 a.m., in addition to a forthcoming Ted Lasso look-alike contest this month.

But, outside of international tourists and World Cup fans looking to party late, Moran said, the common story around the state is that bar crowds are not showing up like they used to. Carey admitted that some Latin American and European tourists may find the 4 a.m. bar closings welcoming, but he said that in the long term, Philadelphia would need a cultural change to make this work.

“If all the bars are open till 4 a.m., the reality of that would be people starting to leave the house at midnight or going out to dinner between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.,” Carey said, noting Spanish cities’ customs. “In Philadelphia, we drink till 2 a.m., and that’s OK — and even sometimes it’s wild enough at that stage."