Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Kolkata restaurants seek extended hours, propose service till 4am festivals
Some restaurants and bars in Kolkata want to stay open later at night.
Right now they can only serve drinks until midnight.
They asked the government to let them stay open until 2 am on normal days.
On special days like New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve, they want to stay open until 4 am.
The restaurant owners met with an important government minister to ask for this change.
They think staying open longer will bring more visitors and let people spend more money.
More spending means the government collects more taxes.
The government will check whether this is safe and whether it makes enough money.
They also asked for faster permission papers, because getting approval can take many months.
The government has not made a final decision yet.
The NRAI's Calcutta chapter has asked the West Bengal government to extend restaurant and bar serving hours to 2 am by default and till 4 am on special occasions.
The association met finance minister Swapan Dasgupta and state excise officials to present its proposals.
Currently, establishments may serve alcoholic beverages only till midnight, with festival extensions requiring excise department permission.
NRAI argues longer operating hours would support tourism, raise consumer spending, and increase excise duty and GST collections.
The industry also wants a time-bound licensing process, with a letter of intent in 15 days and a final licence within 90 days, plus uniform excise norms across hospitality formats.
- Who
- The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Calcutta chapter, led by chapter head Piyush Kankaria, which met finance minister Swapan Dasgupta and state excise officials.
- What
- A proposal to allow restaurants and bars to serve till 2 am by default and till 4 am on festivals, along with faster licensing and uniform excise norms.
- When
- Proposed ahead of the festive season in October, covering occasions such as New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve.
- Where
- Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India.
- Why
- To boost tourism, consumer spending, and excise duty and GST collections, supporting the state's plan for round-the-clock city operations.
- Proposing body
- National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Calcutta chapter
- Current alcohol serving hours
- Till midnight
- Proposed default closing time
- 2 am
- Proposed festival closing time
- 4 am (New Year's Eve, Christmas Eve and notified festivals)
- Proposal submitted to
- Finance minister Swapan Dasgupta and state excise officials
- Proposed licence timeline
- Letter of intent within 15 days; final licence within 90 days
- Current licence process
- Around six months or longer
- Background
- State's June budget plan to explore round-the-clock operations, piloted in Calcutta