{"id":1032503,"date":"2026-08-30T06:46:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1032503\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T06:46:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:46:20","slug":"kevin-bacon-helps-new-york-get-footloose-after-bumping-away-restrictions-on-dancing-in-bars-shimmying-into-modern-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1032503\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Bacon helps New York get \u2018Footloose\u2019 after bumping away restrictions on dancing in bars, shimmying into modern policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"kathy\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Dancing in New York bars and restaurants is now officially allowed.<\/p>\n

Screenshot via YouTube\/Governor Kathy Hochul<\/p>\n

No, this isn\u2019t \u201cFootloose,\u201d though Kevin Bacon is making an appearance.\n<\/p>\n

In years past, the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA)<\/a> required bar and restaurant applicants to disclose whether dancing would be permitted by patrons or consider questions on the application<\/a> about patron dancing when reviewing on-premises license applications. Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the outdated policy has been eliminated, following Hochul\u2019s ongoing efforts to modernize policies impacting New York\u2019s nightlife and hospitality industry while also supporting live performances, arts and entertainment.<\/p>\n

The announcement was made by Hochul in a video alongside Bacon, which was posted to the governor\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a> on Aug. 28.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers have been working so hard, punching their cards and now at our great bars and restaurants across the state, you can finally cut loose,\u201d\u00a0Governor Hochul said.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve eliminated outdated restrictions on dancing in bars and restaurants to uplift our local businesses and give New Yorkers more opportunities to take advantage of all the great entertainment opportunities we have to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the new policy, the SLA will no longer consider responses related to patron dancing when evaluating applications for on-premises liquor licenses. Applicants will no longer have to disclose whether dancing will be permitted for on-premises license applications, method of operation change applications, municipal notice forms, public interest questionnaires and other related materials, and may leave omit or leave questions blank without it impacting the application outcome.<\/p>\n

This new policy will apply to new applications and those currently under review that have not yet been approved. Current licensees that having dancing-related restrictions can apply to modify their method of operation if they wish to allow dancing at their establishment.<\/p>\n

The SLA will continue to review applications based on public convenience and advantage and the overall method of operation, and will still enforce laws and regulations related to noise, disorderly conduct and public safety. All New York businesses must comply with all municipal laws, regulations and zoning requirements that are related to dancing, entertainment and use of the space.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Hochul has made clear that New York should support thriving small businesses and a hospitality industry that reflects the way people live and gather today. By removing this outdated question, we are making the licensing process simpler and more sensible while keeping the SLA focused where it belongs \u2014 on public safety, quality of life, and responsible operation,\u201d said New York State Liquor Authority Chair Lily M. Fan. \u201cNew York\u2019s restaurants, bars, and venues bring people together and fill our communities with energy. Dancing is good for the soul \u2014 so let\u2019s cut loose and celebrate!\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out the announcement below:\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dancing in New York bars and restaurants is now officially allowed. Screenshot via YouTube\/Governor Kathy Hochul No, this…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1032504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,3990,27488,5371,11166,405,403,412994,5226,5225,5228,5227,24672,87363,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-1032503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-america","tag-bars","tag-dancing","tag-kathy-hochul","tag-kevin-bacon","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-state-liquor-authority","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-pm-newsletter","tag-sla","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117183120267900868","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1032503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1032503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1032504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1032503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1032503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1032503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}