City that never sleeps? Not until 1am, anyway!

New York’s restaurant, bar and night club owners are vowing to defeat a “secret plan” to bring forward the closing time of many of the city’s entertainment venues. According to the United States’ Newsday website, the new plan would require certain bars and clubs open after 1am – those with a capacity of more than 75 people in residential or mixed-use neighbourhoods – to have a nightlife license if they play music louder than 90 decibels. But the New York Nightlife Association is claiming that the new plan would force bars and clubs to get the license or close at 1am, a move that would destroy the night club scene in what is, after all, known as the city that never sleeps. In the wake of a smoking ban implemented last year, many people are reportedly concerned that the cost of having to pay for soundproofing to get a licence will lead to many venues shutting down. The proposed law is reportedly designed to replace the 78-year-old “cabaret licence”, which is generally seen as an antiquated and, in some circles, ridiculous law. The Guardian reports that in some more extreme cases, bars have been forced to shut because patrons had been seen “swaying by the jukebox”.