As Philadelphia prepares for one of the biggest tourism booms in the city’s history this summer, businesses across the hospitality industry are bracing for what Councilmember Isaiah Thomas called “tourism on steroids.”
This summer the city will host six of 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, the MLB All-Star Game, and celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the signing of Declaration of Independence.
The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau projects that in 2026 these events will bring over 1 million tourists to the city and generate almost $950 million in revenue.
Local businesses in Philadelphia, specifically in Center City have already started preparing.
One them is McGillin’s Olde Ale House, Philadelphia’s oldest continuously running bar. Just a few blocks away from City Hall, the bar opened in 1860 and is one of the most well-known businesses in the city.
Currently, the city is considering adopting a bill that would temporarily allow bars and restaurants like McGillin’s to serve alcohol until 4 a.m during the World Cup games. While other host cities already have later curfews, this change to Philly’s bar curfew would need to be authorized by state law. While the details aren’t finalized yet, when the city extended the curfew for the Democratic National Convention in 2016, bars had to pay a $5,000 fee in order to stay open past 2 a.m..
Chris Mullen, the owner of McGillin’s, said that regardless of whether or not the city changes the curfew, he will continue to close the bar at 2 a.m.
The group pushing for this change is the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association (PRLA), a hospitality industry lobbying group based in Harrisburg.
Ben Fileccia, Senior Vice President of PRLA, said, “There is a concern there. However, the demand is still going to be there. Our visitors are still going to be drinking. I would rather them drink in safe license establishments than than not. We want to make sure that the amenities that we offer in Philadelphia are at least as great as the other cities.”
Philadelphia Neighborhoods sat down with McGillin’s owner Chris Mullen to talk about what they’re doing to prep for the summer crowd and his thoughts on the extension of bar curfew.
PN: McGillin’s is the oldest bar in Philadelphia — it opened in 1860 and considered one of the most iconic gathering places in the city for locals and tourists alike. For someone who has never been here before, how would you describe McGillin’s, and its role in the Philadelphia tourism industry?
Chris Mullen: McGillin’s is sought after by many different kinds of people. We’re a unique place because if you’re from Philly, you come here. If you’re a visitor to town, you come here. There’s an authenticity to it because of that and it’s a great meld of all people in Philadelphia. If you’re sitting the bar, you could be sitting next to a federal judge on one side and a union plumber on the other. We’re not a snotty place, we have a real local vibe. It’s just a great place to experience Philadelphia in a more interesting way.
PN: With the this summer’s massive tourism boom coming up, how are you preparing the business?
Chris Mullen: We’re expecting a very busy summer. What kind of numbers? I don’t know, but I definitely think that the drop [in patronage] generally experience in the summer will not be as intense. And there’ll be much higher spikes too. We expect to be busier on the day of the baseball All-Star game, and when the World Cup soccer matches take place. The big question will be ‘What’s going on in between?’ There’s still a lot of unknown, but we obviously will be planning for the uptick.
PN: There is currently a push for lawmakers to extend the bar curfew in Philadelphia to 4am. As the owner of one of the most popular bars in the city, what are your thoughts on this?
Chris Mullen: Well, first off, we’re not participating. We’ve never done it before. The city tried to do it during the Democratic National Convention in 2016 and we didn’t do it. We have the opinion that nothing good happens after 2am and I think we don’t want to risk the safety and security of our customers and staff. I don’t want to ask our staff to work until four in the morning. And how much additional money are you going to make between 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.?
PN: When the tourists go home, what do you hope they take away from their experience at your business and their time in Philadelphia?
Chris Mullen: I hope that everybody goes back to their respective countries or cities, even in the United States domestically, and say ‘Wow, Philadelphia is so overlooked and unappreciated.’ We do live in the shadows of Washington, New York, and Boston, but we have a world class art scene. We have a world class nightlife scene. We have restaurants, beautiful neighborhoods, and great transportation. The story of Philadelphia has more to tell.
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