Pubs allowed to open later than usual for England vs Spain Euro 2024 final
eng vs wales

Pubs allowed to open later than usual for England vs Spain Euro 2024 final

Venues in England and Wales will be allowed to stay open an extra two hours, until 1am, on the day of the match.

Before the 2024 General Election, the Government approved late-night hours at pubs if England or Scotland were to reach the Euros semi-finals or final.

Home Secretary at the time James Cleverly said: “We have listened to the public through our consultation and will be extending pub licensing hours should England or Scotland reach the semi-finals or final of Euro 2024.”

This was utilised during the semi-final on Wednesday (July 10) evening when England defeated the Netherlands 2-1 thanks to a late Ollie Watkins winner.

The Government has previously pushed back pub closing times for royal weddings, the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016, the Fifa World Cup in 2014 and the last Euro final in 2022.

The Home Secretary, under Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003, can make an order relaxing licensing hours to mark occasions of “exceptional national significance”.

Euro 2024 has been a big boost to pub industry

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) expects that pub landlords will pull an extra 10m pints on the day of the final, bringing in nearly £50m in additional revenue, The Guardian reports.

Overall, the BBPA thinks England’s progress through the tournament has been worth £227m in extra beer sales.

UK Hospitality, the trade body that represents the wider sector, estimates that if England are crowned European champions the industry will have benefited from an £800m uplift.


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Alongside that, high street retailers including Tesco and Marks & Spencer expect food and drink sales to see a huge lift over the weekend as hosts stock up for barbecues and viewing parties.

Tesco thinks it will shift 1m pizzas, 180,000 packs of burgers and 800,000 packs of sausages.

Additionally, it believes 4m packs of beer and cider, 1.2m cans of no- or low-alcohol versions and 2.5m bottles of wine will be purchased.

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