Dance the Night Away

New York is famous as the “city that never sleeps,” but be careful what you do after
hours. There are 26,000 bars and restaurants in New York City, but if you enjoy
live music, singing, or dancing, you could be breaking the law. That’s because a
Prohibition-era law still forbids three or more people from dancing, anyplace
where there is “musical entertainment.” Any exceptions require an expensive city-
issued license that very few businesses actually have. Instead of looking through
the lens of liberty, city officials still go to court to defend that old “cabaret law.”
In one recent case, they argued that “there is no protected First Amendment right
of expression to engage in recreational dancing.” We should tell our officials they
have no right to regulate us, if we want to dance the night away.