Delhi, Bengaluru Extend Hours For World Cup Final

Synopsis

As India's late night football viewing for the FIFA World Cup final takes place, Delhi and Bengaluru have temporarily increased the hours of their restaurants to accommodate the late night hour viewing, while West Bengal has set up large public screenings. The measures show that this is a footwear that is taking greater hold in Indian civic and hospitality policies, as kick-off is still well under way past midnight local time.

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Delhi's Late-Night Relaxation

Football fans can enjoy the final of the World Cup together with restaurants and cafés in the capital, which can stay open till 4 am on Saturday and Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced. The announcement followed the country's live telecast of the final was scheduled to start at 12.30 am on July 20.

Bengaluru's Tiered Extension

In Bengaluru, the police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh has given permission to hotels and restaurants in the Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate to operate food till 5am on July 19 when the third place play-off is set for and till 3.30am on July 20 for final. The extension was granted based on a representation from the National Restaurant Association of India and provided for under the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, which specifies that the regular closing time for food service is 1 am.

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The Public Screenings in West Bengal

Instead of changing private business timings, West Bengal has decided to veer towards public infrastructure. It will be screened on a giant screen in Kolkata by the state government, where fans will be able to watch together, while giant screen viewings will be organised at various places in the districts.

Why It Matters

The concerted civic effort (city food-service law, police regulation, and public broadcasting) is a testament to the extent to which football has become part of India's entertainment repertoire — which has typically belonged to cricket. Some say the whole fandom experience has become its own thing with the games now played on big screens and at the games are live commentators and the match-day menu.

The odd timing – a global finale that landed in Indian Standard Time long after midnight – has essentially made it a one-off exception for local governments to allow the event to be held outside regular licensing windows, and may well become a recurring occurrence at future global tournaments as the number of Indians watching the sport grows.

Outlook

Hospitality committees will call for similar temporary waivers in subsequent international games to be played in the marquee, especially in light of the increasing number of structured fan-viewing facilities in many cities across India.

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