BENGALURU: City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh on Tuesday announced that all bars, restaurants, pubs and hotels under the jurisdiction of the Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate will be allowed to remain open and serve food until 3.30 am on the intervening nights of July 14–15, July 15–16 and July 19–20 in view of the FIFA Club World Cup 2026 semi-finals and final.The order, issued under the provisions of the Karnataka Police Act, aims to facilitate late-night match screenings while maintaining law and order.The decision comes after the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Bengaluru Chapter, sought an extension of operating hours, saying matches screened at restaurants continue until around 2.30 am, beyond the existing 1 am closing deadline.Many restaurants across the city have been screening the matches, with the remaining fixtures scheduled for July 15, 16, 19 and 20.All four matches are set to begin at 12.30 am.“These matches attract a huge crowd when we screen them at our establishments. Since the matches go on beyond the current 1 am deadline, we have sought a relaxation for these specific days. Two of these matches are scheduled for the weekend, which is expected to benefit restaurants even more,” an NRAI representative said.
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Representatives of the NRAI, the Karnataka State Hotels Association (KSHA) and the Bengaluru City Hotel Association met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday and submitted a memorandum seeking an extension of operating hours, along with other demands.Multiple NRAI sources confirmed that the request to extend restaurant timings was raised during the meeting and said the chief minister had responded positively to the proposal.In its order, Bengaluru City Police clarified that the relaxation applies only to the intervening nights of July 14–15, July 15–16 and July 19–20, corresponding to the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals and final.The extension permits hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs within the Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate limits to continue serving food until 3.30 am to facilitate late-night match screenings while ensuring the maintenance of law and order.
