BOSTON (WHDH) - A Boston city councilor says he is planning to introduce a proposal to the council to permanently extend last call at bars in the city until 3 a.m., an hour later than the current last call.
Councilor Brian Worrell said it’s a way for Boston to catch up to other major cities around the country.
“We have heard our young people, hearing when I was in college, ‘Boston isn’t open late.’ New York, Miami, D.C. are open later than Boston,” Worrell said.
The 3 a.m. closing proposal builds on the current summer pilot program that allows some establishments to serve alchohol until that time during the busy tourist season brought on by the World Cup.
“Boston isn’t just an international city with the World Cup, it is an international city year round,” Worrell said.
The owner of the popular White Bull Tavern said the challenges may outweigh the benefits.
“Number one, staffing. It would be tough to get the staff to stay late. No public transportation. If the ‘T’ was open until 4 a.m., I’d probably be on board a little bit more,” said Jeff Baird, Owner of White Bull Tavern. “I think 2 a.m. is fine.”
“I think that is a major concern, where if the city does extend drinking hours, they would have to extend public transportation as well,” said Quinn Fitzgerald, a bartender in the city.
In a statement, Mothers Against Drunk Driving said it supports a statewide cutoff, writing, “Far too often, the search for ‘one last drink’ results in drunk driving. Boston should not differ from the rest of the Massachusetts.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)