Assemblyman Tony Simone pictured at a presser across the street from Penn Station was pushing a bill in Albany that would have allowed bars and restaurants to expand into the streets with outdoor drinking in designated “entertainment zones.”
Assemblyman Tony Simone pictured at a presser across the street from Penn Station was pushing a bill in Albany that would have allowed bars and restaurants to expand into the streets with outdoor drinking in designated “entertainment zones.” ( Photo: Keith Kelly)

Soccer fans from around the globe are flooding into Manhattan but a bill allowing temporary “entertainment zones” for bars and restaurants to serve drinks outdoors during the World Cup has failed to pass in time.

HOST Act Fails to Pass: Space for World Cup Fans Runs Out
12 Jun 2026 | 02:46
Food & Drink

Bars and restaurants are left scrambling for provisions as the World Cup begins. Modelled on legislation passed in Washington state, Assemblyman Tony Simone had hoped that his bill, backed by city council member Virginia Maloney, would add to the city’s preparations to house the estimated 1.2 million...

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