WINTER | FEATURE
Ariel Palitz is New York's
first ever Night Time Officer, a
position facilitated by Rafael
Espinal Jr.
Palitz plays a key role for
someone with a background
in the night-time industry, and
works with key stakeholders,
the New York Police
Department, community
boards and others in order to
protect the nightlife sector
within New York city, and help
it to grow.
Paltiz has already made an
impact on nightlife in NYC
by supporting the removal
of the ‘Cabaret Licensing
Act’, nearly century-old law
that prohibited the hosting
of ‘musical entertainment,
singing, dancing or other
form of amusement’ without a
license; one that only 97 of the
25,000 bars and restaurants
in New York city had. Whilst
not widely enforced, it meant
that owners of night-time
establishments were fearful
of being shut down or raided
by the police and meant that
those looking for a night out
were forced away from safe
spaces and into potentially
dangerous, underground
ones.
3. Ariel Palitz - Nightlife
Mayor for New York City
There are around 25,000 bars and
restaurants in New York city
Liverpool was
crowned best
city in the UK for
nightlife by Trip
Advisor
The night-time industry accounts for
6% of the UK’s revenue, providing 1.3m
jobs and £6.6bn to the UK economy
The Cabaret Licensing Act being
enforced led to a bar in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn called Muchmore’s getting a
cabaret violation in 2013 after a police
officer spotted people ‘swaying’ at a
rock show while investigating a noise
complaint
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