Mayor Bloomberg’s administration came forth this week to open discussions that may make it possible for more then 181 venues (the number currently licensed under the current cabaret laws) to be able to host public dancing events.
It’s not the first time that the Mayor’s office as sought to reform the laws, which were created back in 1926, but the last attempt has the potential to shift venues’ closing times up to 1am from 4am, which clubowners protested.
There have been numerous groups in NYC working on repealing this antiquated laws, which state that a bar or restaurant or other venue has to have a cabaret license if three or more people are dancing in that space. The ticketing has long been another source of revenue for the city, and the existing number of legal cabaret licenses has decline to the current 181 from the 1961 number of approximately 12,000.
New York Voices produced a segment on this situation in 2003, which is still current today: watch the segment below (6 minutes), or read more on the NY Voices website.
