Kansas City 5 A.M. World Cup Boozing ALMOST Explained

A quick retrospective on this town's sketchy effort to boost bar biz . . .

Personal note . . . 

The smart money explains that the boozefests are mostly comprised of local scumbags and very few soccer fans who, understandably, are afraid to go out drinking late into the night in a strange, new city. 

Still . . . Here's the backstory . . .  

"States loosened their liquor laws, then Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas moved to rein them back in the name of public safety, then a compromise was reached following pushback from bar and restaurant owners.

"The city ultimately decided to let all establishments licensed to sell liquor by the drink have the option to stay open to 3 a.m. Some were eligible to serve alcohol through 5 a.m. in an expedited process that received input from Lace Cline, the assistant city manager for public safety, the Kansas City Police Department and the city’s regulated industries division.

"To earn the extra hours, bars that fell within designated entertainment districts — such as Downtown, Westport, West Bottoms, Crossroads, Country Club Plaza and Zona Rosa — had to be in good standing, apply for a special license and present a security plan within days . . .

"But in practice many are likely to use their temporary extended hours license as an option for extra hours. The 5 a.m. last call is expected to be limited to match days and weekends, depending on demand."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Closing time at 5 a.m.: How extended bar hours happened for World Cup in some KC spots