City of Hoboken Lifts Alcohol Rules for Sunday Morning Olympic Hockey Viewing at Bars

Mayor Emily Jabbour just announced that Hoboken is temporarily lifting local ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) regulations for the morning of Sunday, February 22, 2026, so Hoboken bars can open early and serve alcohol while showing the USA vs. Canada Olympic men’s hockey game live. This special exception is due to the highly-anticipated men’s hockey gold-medal game during the Winter Olympics.

Here’s a list of bars that are planning to open early for watching the game and having a drink.

Bars open early for Olympics hockey game on Sunday, February 22, 2026:

Madd Hatter Hoboken 

Snack Bar 

Finnegan’s Pub 

The Pig and Parrot Hoboken 

Hudson Hall – Jersey City

Hoboken Biergarten

Healy’s Tavern

Email or DM us and we’ll add to the list 🙂

Definitely check each bar’s specific early opening time and any posted specials, but these spots are lining up to broadcast the big game and serve drinks under the mayor’s special ABC regulation waiver. 

The context of the ABC regulations

Under New Jersey’s alcoholic beverage laws, the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) and local municipal ordinances set the legal hours when bars and restaurants can sell alcohol — and those hours generally don’t include early morning.

In much of New Jersey, bars and restaurants with on-premise licenses are not allowed to serve alcohol before about 9:00AM on any day, including Sunday. That’s a baseline rule tied to state-level ABC regulations that prohibit licensed sales too early in the morning.

Many municipal ordinances go further by setting stricter closing and opening times. For example, some towns prohibit any service until 10AM or even noon on Sundays unless an ordinance explicitly allows otherwise. These restrictions exist to reduce late-night / early-morning public intoxication risks, help with traffic and safety concerns, and reflect longstanding community standards about late-night alcohol service. ABC licenses are very specific about the times and places alcohol can be sold — and operating outside those times is a violation that can jeopardize a liquor license.

Because these rules are general defaults, cities like Hoboken typically don’t let bars serve booze in the early morning hours without a special exception, which is exactly what Mayor Emily Jabbour just announced for Sunday, Feb. 22 to accommodate Olympic hockey fans.

Go USA! 🇺🇸🏒