Wichita won’t extend alcohol sales for World Cup, but this suburb will

Wichita will not opt in to extended alcohol sale hours for the upcoming World Cup, but Park City will.

A new state law allows for 23-hour alcohol sales since Kansas City is one of the host cities for the international sporting event.

City spokesperson Megan Lovely said she is not aware of Wichita receiving any requests to extend alcohol sales.

The World Cup begins June 11, with Kansas City hosting its first match June 16. In cities that do opt in to the exemption, bars and restaurants can sell alcohol from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m. until July 19.

Few cities in Kansas have opted in to the extension. In Johnson County, just outside Kansas City, many cities have decided not to opt in, but Olathe and Merriam did.

About three hours south of the host city and just north of Wichita, Park City also decided to opt in to the extended alcohol sale hours.

There are four drinking establishments in Park City that could take advantage of the extended hours. CrossWinds Casino, Gilley’s, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar and Shenanigans.

Gilley’s, the newly opened gambling hall, said in a news release it will participate in the extended hours.

“We appreciate the leadership of the State of Kansas and the Park City Council in supporting this international event,” Rheagan Hoover with Gilley’s said in the release. “The expanded hours allow fans to gather responsibly and enjoy the World Cup experience without worrying about the clock.”

The hall will have special events for the World Cup, including a watch party for the opening match on June 11, Mexico v. South Africa at 2 p.m.

A representative of the local Applebee’s said his store would not be doing anything differently during the World Cup, and representatives of Shenanigans and CrossWinds could not be reached for comment on June 4 or June 5.

A representative of the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane did not want to comment when asked whether it was going to participate in the extra hours.

Some Wichita restaurants questioned whether the extended sales would be worth it, with most of the World Cup matches in Kansas City taking place during regular business hours. Public at the Brickyard co-owner Brooke Russell said that it’s “not a compelling case” to stay open.

Wichita council members, including Dalton Glasscock, shared the same sentiment.

“I would have considered the option, because definitely I want people to celebrate,” Glasscock said, “but if the games are already gonna be done during that time, then we didn’t really see an added benefit.

“It’s not something I really heard from businesses, I didn’t hear people reaching out about it as much, so if there is interest, let us know now, because we haven’t heard really from businesses that were pushing us to do it.”

Gilley’s is directly north of Wichita and is likely to draw people from Wichita to watch the sporting event.

“If the businesses around Wichita thrive, we also thrive,” Glasscock said. “I wish them the best of luck in it, and I hope they’ll get a lot of patrons... So that is an opportunity for Wichitans, people do that. Make sure to drive responsibly.”