Developer Brian O’Neill has sued the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors over its rejection last month of his proposed 4.6 million-square-foot data center campus.
In lawsuits filed Wednesday in Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, O’Neill said Upper Merion officials have stated in recent years that data centers — which house the equipment that powers AI — qualify as warehouses and are therefore permitted under its zoning code. They changed their tune, according to O’Neill’s team, only after residents pushed back against the plans.
“The township issued a zoning officer’s determination letter that the proposed use was a permitted use, and then when the people started to bombard them, they did a 180,” said Marc Kaplin, an attorney representing O’Neill. “This is what happens when there is public pressure.”
Brian O’Neill has proposed five data centers in Upper Merion Township and one across the river in Plymouth Township.John Duchneskie
Township Manager Anthony Hamaday said Thursday that Upper Merion officials had been informed of O’Neill’s land-use appeals but that the documents had yet to be delivered to them. They declined to comment, pending a full review of the filings.
O’Neill is asking a judge to reverse the supervisors’ denial, give his plans preliminary approval, and appoint an independent third-party “referee” to conduct an evidentiary hearing and oversee the rest of the process. In the lawsuit, O’Neill says the board acted in bad faith and denied his plans over “minor technical items.”
At a contentious Aug. 13 meeting, the supervisors unanimously rejected O’Neill’s five data center plans on the grounds that the proposals lacked specificity, including on fire-safety-related issues, and did not meet zoning requirements. They said O’Neill’s team failed to address their many questions and concerns during the review process.
O’Neill had said his team needed more time to respond and requested an extension until Sept. 30, a request township officials denied.
A day before the supervisors’ vote, the developer sued the township, its planning commission, and its board of supervisors, saying they violated his legal right to an extension. In response, Montgomery County Court Judge Garrett D. Page ordered a pause on township proceedings and decisions related to the data centers. That decision was vacated the next day, just hours before the supervisors’ vote on Aug. 13.
A building at 2701 Renaissance Blvd., as seen in May, is one of the sites that Brian O’Neill wants to turn into a data center in Upper Merion Township.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
O’Neill has said the centers would emit little light and noise, operate on a closed-loop system that requires no outside water, and provide their own power. They would also be an economic engine for Montgomery County, according to O’Neill, who released an economic impact study saying the project would result in more than 10,000 jobs during construction, more than 700 permanent jobs, and more than $55 million a year in local tax revenue.
Neighborhood groups have rallied against O’Neill’s plans, organizing on social media, packing township meetings, and displaying bright orange lawn signs opposing the project. About 18,000 people had signed a Change.org petition against the Upper Merion data centers as of Friday. Opponents have expressed concerns about pollution, light, noise, electricity prices, property values, and quality of life.
The pushback in Upper Merion mirrors the opposition seen across the Schuylkill River in Plymouth Township, where O’Neill has spent a year trying to get the OK to build another 2 million-square-foot data center on a shuttered steel mill outside Conshohocken. The project was set to be the subject of a Plymouth Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting on Thursday, but the meeting was canceled due to what the township called “an administrative oversight.”
The closed Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill in Plymouth Township, outside Conshohocken, that Brian O’Neill wants to turn into a 2-million-square-foot data center. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Plymouth Township officials failed to post the meeting agenda 24 hours in advance, in violation of the Sunshine Act.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of legal compliance and public transparency, the board will not convene as scheduled,” Plymouth Township officials said Thursday in a statement, adding that the meeting will be rescheduled.
O’Neill has also faced off with Plymouth Township officials in recent months. In July, he filed a legal challenge to the Plymouth Township zoning ordinance, which prompted township leaders to accuse O’Neill of “throwing a tantrum” in an attempt to bully and intimidate them. O’Neill called their statements “a bald-faced lie.”
Despite pushback, O’Neill’s team remains bullish on data centers.
“Everybody is against data centers but everybody wants their Amazon order delivered instantaneously,” Kaplin said. “We want all these things that are powered by data centers, so you can’t have it both ways.”
Two decades ago, Kaplin said he worked for a developer trying to get several of the region’s Walmarts approved. At the time, there was great public opposition, he said, but now “everybody is like, ‘Walmart is part of the community.’”
“This too shall pass,” Kaplin said. “We have to have this computing power to compete in the world.”
The Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected a proposed 5-million-square-foot AI data-center campus that had sparked pushback from residents, a lawsuit from the developer, and accusations of mistreatment and intimidation.
After the decision was made at a Thursday night meeting, some in the crowd applauded, danced, and high-fived one another. The rejection came after three hours of fiery exchanges between the developer, Brian O’Neill, and township officials.
O’Neill and his team said they were prepared to go over each of the township’s comments about his five proposed sites in the King of Prussia area. But officials said it was too little, too late, and asked if O’Neill’s team was “filibustering.”
“Are you asking us to not present those facts in defense of those plans when it’s clear all you want to do is deny our plan and go home tonight?” said O’Neill. He later said township officials were violating state and local planning codes, an allegation they denied.
“Your attempt here to lecture us is considered an intimidation. And I don’t want to see our professional staff bullied or coerced,” said William Jenaway, vice chair of the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors. “Intimidation, coercion and bullying are not good qualities in a professional leader.”
A map of the proposed data centers in Upper Merion and Plymouth TownshipsJohn Duchneskie
Those projects aren’t dead: O’Neill can appeal the board’s denial, as chair Tina Garzillo told him Thursday.
“Don’t you worry about that,” said O’Neill, before walking out of the Upper Merion Area Middle School auditorium to a chorus of boos.
The board’s decision came after months of contention and a whirlwind two days of legal back-and-forth.
O’Neill on Wednesday sued the township, its planning commission, and its board of supervisors, saying they violated his legal right to an extension and treated him unfairly during the development review process. Soon after, Montgomery County Court Judge Garrett D. Page ordered the township to halt proceedings and decisions related to the data centers until a hearing next week.
Citing the ruling, Edmund J. Campbell, an attorney for O’Neill, declined to make a presentation on two of the five proposed data-center sites at an Upper Merion Township Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday night.
Late Thursday afternoon, however, Page vacated his previous order, allowing the township board of supervisors to proceed with its meeting as planned. On the agenda: A vote on O’Neill’s request for an extension until Sept. 30, and votes on the five proposed data centers.
After an hour of public comment, all but one of which was from residents opposing the data centers, the township’s board of supervisors voted to deny O’Neill’s extension requests. The board then moved on to vote on the land development plans for each of the five sites.
One by one, the plans were denied unanimously by the five-person board.
Each vote was met with loud cheers from attendees.
For months, residents have rallied against O’Neill’s plans, packing township meetings and putting up bright orange lawn signs opposing the projects. About 18,000 people had signed a Change.org petition against the Upper Merion data centers as of Thursday. Some neighbors have expressed concerns about pollution, light, noise, electricity prices, property values, and quality of life.
Upper Merion residents opposed to the data centers have put up these lawn signs.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
“I’m really proud to stand here tonight with each and every other concerned resident,” Courtney Smith said Thursday. “We all have something important here to fight for.”
“The people here are here because they care deeply about the long-term interest of our communities,” Montgomery County Commissioner Neil K. Makhija said during his comments in opposition of the plan. The commissioner said the supervisors’ decision would have ramifications beyond the county, as communities across the region and the country weigh data-center development.
O’Neil has said his data centers would benefit Upper Merion and “change the world for the better.” While the developer has declined to specify who exactly would operate the centers, he has indicated the facilities would use AI-powered biotech in conjunction with his existing life-sciences complex, Discovery Labs.
One of the sites where Brian O’Neill wanted to build a data center in Upper Merion.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
O’Neill has said his data centers would comply with the highest environmental standards, emitting little light and noise. They would operate on a closed-loop system, requiring no outside water, he said, and provide their own power.
The developer has also said they’d be an economic boon to the area. Last week, he released an economic impact study that said the Upper Merion centers would result in more than 10,000 jobs during its construction and then generate more than $55 million a year in local tax revenue.
At Thursday’s board of supervisors meeting, however, Upper Merion Township Tax Collector Evelyn Ankers disputed those figures, and said O’Neill has failed to pay taxes on his properties in the past.
Across the Schuylkill, a data-center fight rages on between O’Neill and some residents of Plymouth Township, where the developer wants to build a 2-million-square-foot facility on a shuttered steel mill outside Conshohocken.
A partial eclipse will occur Wednesday, along with a planetary alignment that doesn’t happen all that often.
For star power, however, the annual Perseids meteor shower, which will be peaking late Wednesday night and early Thursday, may outshine them both as the moon gets out of the way to prepare for its big night at the end of the month.
The Perseids should put on quite a decent show this year for those who have access to reasonably dark skies and do not mind staying up a little late.
These things can produce 50 to 100 meteors an hour underultra-dark sky conditions, but you won’t see that many above light-polluted Philly.
Above the darkness-challenged Philadelphia Museum of Art, you might be able to catch 10 an hour, said Bill Cook, NASA’s meteoroid guru at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
The potential spoiler in all this would be the state of the skies, which are expected to be sunny Wednesday. But just how cloud-free they will be at night is not clear just yet, said Patrick O’Hara, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
The weather service is calling for mostly clear skies late Wednesday night, but some clouds may roll in after midnight, and it says the forecast contains “a frustrating level of uncertainty.”
About the eclipse
The eclipse has been generating media attention, and it is going to be a spectacular show — if you happen to be in Greenland or Iceland or northern Spain, places that will experience the haunting magic of totality, which will occur around 1:45 p.m. Philly time.
Locally?
“Philly just isn’t in the right place for any good eclipse viewing this time around,” said Teddy Kareta, assistant professor of astrophysics and planetary science at Villanova University.
Only about 8% of the sun will be blocked out at Philly’s latitude, said Dwight Dulsky, with the Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association.
Said Kareta, “That’s a small enough change that … I don’t think I’d even notice.”
Dulsky said the Bucks-Mont group “will be doing some safe solar viewing” of the eclipse in the marina parking lot of Nockamixon State Park, in Upper Bucks County.
Early risers (or late stay-uppers) on Wednesday can admire a planet parade in the western sky, or at least some of its participants.
Four planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn — will be lined up and visible to the unaided eye, said Kareta, though Jupiter and Mercury may be elusive, since they will be close to the horizon.
The line may be slightly less orderly on the 13th, but may not look much different from the perspective of the average earthling, Kareta added.
If you miss the planet show, Kareta advises that these things may be special but are not exactly rare. A similar alignment occurred “about a year ago,” he said.
“As an astronomer,” he said, “I find these planetary alignments more fun and beautiful than I find them super interesting.”
The Perseids are about to peak
Several hours after the moon gets in the sun’s way Wednesday, it will be fortuitously out of the way for the annual Perseid meteor showers.
As many as 50 to 100 meteors per hour may appear at their absolute peak, which this year would be in the early morning hours of Thursday.
Elsewhere in the great Philadelphia city-state, French Creek State Park, bordering Chester and Berks Counties, is a favorite among local sky watchers, and the prime viewing area is open all night.
At least a few watch parties are planned, including one by the Bucks-Mont group from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Nockamixon park, Dulsky said.
The Perseids are so named because they appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, but they show up all over the sky. They are the most popular among the 30 or so showers visible in the night sky annually.
The Geminids, in December, outnumber the Perseids, but people prefer warmth with their meteor-watching. Plus, NASA reports that the Perseids are by far number one for those spectacular fireballs.
The meteors are the result of debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, one of the larger meteor-producing comets, having a diameter of about 15 miles.
The earth encounters Swift-Tuttle detritus every year around this time, and those cosmic pebbles become bright streaks as they enter Earth’s atmosphere at 130,000 mph. If they’re big enough, they explode into fireballs.
Cook says that while the moonless skies offer the ideal background, this will not be an especially prolific year for the Perseids. He said the 2028 harvest will be more abundant, when the earth passes through “a denser stream” of the comet’s sheddings.
That once-in-a-blue-moon event
The moon will be returning later in the month, on Aug. 31, as the second full moon of August, thus a “blue moon.” Like those planetary alignments, it is something to expect once in a blue moon.
Upper Merion Township wants to build a sports and entertainment venue in King of Prussia, and has been looking to get state funding for the project.
The facility, which as proposed could host over 7,500 people, could be used by professional soccer and baseball teams as well as for concerts, festivals, graduations, and other community gatherings, according to a grant application seeking funding from the state.
“There is still extensive preliminary work that needs to be discussed and developed,” Tina Garzillo, chair of the township’s board of supervisors, said via email on Monday, noting that “there is nothing definitive,” at this time about the project.
The venue has been envisioned for Moore Park area, near hotels, housing, the Valley Forge Casino Resort, and a Topgolf. The proposed address on a state grant application is 650 Park Ave.,but Garzillo said that is only “only one of several identified possible sites.”
Garzillo did not say what teams could be expected to lease out the stadium, but the venue’s capacity is in the ballpark of other minor league baseball venues. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs play at Coca-Cola Park, which can host roughly 8,000 seated spectators, and the Brooklyn Cyclones play at Maimonides Park, which can seat roughly 7,000, with additional standing room.
“The facility will serve as a catalyst for converting a traditional office park into a vibrant mixed-use district,” the grant application notes. “This transformation is especially important in a post-COVID world, as communities adapt to new work patterns and the decline of single-use office environments.”
The DeVonta Smith & Friends celebrity softball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown on June 10, 2023.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
What would it cost?
The proposed project would cost an estimated $197 million, which the township wants to fund through state, township, and county dollars as well as private contributions.
The township applied for a $20 million grant through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, but the project was not selected in the latest round of funding.
The township is currently evaluatingother funding options, Garzillo said, and does not currently have a new application in the works for the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
The program receives hundreds of applications in each funding cycle, and the majority do not get awarded, said Rosie Lapowsky, a spokesperson for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office. Not receiving funding “is not a commentary on their value as projects or any potential future engagement from the state,” Lapowsky added.
The funding application to the state program noted that the project includes “walkable connections, shared parking, and high visibility along major regional highways, positioning it as an anchor for ongoing redevelopment of the area into a dynamic ‘live, work, play,’ destination.”
The development of the venue would create 3,196 jobs, according to the application. It does not specify what positions would be needed, and if some of those jobs would be temporary, for the construction of the site.
The venue is also expected to create revenue through taxes, naming rights, corporate sponsorships, and other branding deals, the application notes.
Those leading the project say they have been in touch with county and state elected officials as well as members of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, noting that “these discussions highlighted the project’s alignment with state priorities and its anticipated benefits to the Commonwealth, including economic growth and community impact.”
Upper Merion Township is interested in adding entertainment options to the area, said Garzillo, citing the success of nearby attractions such as Topgolf; the casino; Netflix House, which opened in November at King of Prussia Mall; and Dave & Buster’s.
Exterior entrance to Netflix House at the King of Prussia Mall.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
As part of its effort to bring more entertainment options to the area, the township has changed the zoning language for the King of Prussia Mall to allow entertainment venues to occupy retail spaces, Garzillo noted.
The King of Prussia District, a nonprofit focused on economic development in the area, declined to comment on the project.
The debate over a proposed 2 million-square-foot AI data center in Plymouth Township near Conshohocken has become acrimonious, with local officials and the developer trading accusations of mistreatment.
Plymouth Township Council Chair Lynne Viscio said Monday that the project’s developer, Brian O’Neill, had “bullied” and “intimidated” township officials in an attempt to gain approval to build the facility on the site of the shuttered Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill.
O’Neill’s recent efforts have included a legal challenge to the township’s zoning ordinance. Viscio said it was filed after O’Neill “rejected” the township’s concerns and its proposed data-center “safeguards.”
“This is a blatant attempt by the applicant to demand approval by throwing a tantrum,” Viscio said in a statement, which she delivered during a live streamed appearance by council members, later posted to the township’s website. “The township is not interested in entertaining such theatrics.”
Reached by phone, O’Neill called the accusations “a bold-faced lie” that were part of a “misinformation campaign” against his planned data center. He said he had been “negotiating in good faith” with township attorneys for months and had agreed to “the majority” of the township’s conditions.
“We are sympathetic to the fact that they are under tremendous political scrutiny from people outside the township, as well as residents inside the township, and that makes giving a landowner their property rights … challenging,” said O’Neill, a longtime developer in Conshohocken and on the Main Line.
“However, I am a landowner, and I do have rights,” he added, “and it is their job to be impartial and fair in their analysis and response.”
The closed Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill is seen last month outside Conshohocken.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Hyperscale data centers, such as the one O’Neill is proposing, house the energy-hungry technology that powers ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools.
The Plymouth Township site is less than a mile from downtown Conshohocken, near the Proving Grounds sports complex, Tee’s Golf Center, and dozens of homes in the township’s Connaughtown section.
The closed Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill where Brian O’Neill wants to build a data center is shown in June.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
O’Neill has not said who would operate the center but has indicated it would be a tenant related to the life sciences.
An initial zoning hearing board meeting on the resurrected Plymouth Township project was held last month. As of Monday, a more substantive hearing was scheduled for Aug. 6 and was set to include the presentation of evidence and testimony.
The Plymouth Township project is one of six data centers that O’Neill is proposing in the area. Across the river in Upper Merion Township, where O’Neill’s MLP Ventures already has offices and labs, the developer has proposed a 4.6 million-square-foot data center campus spanning five properties.
The proposed data centers in Upper Merion and Plymouth TownshipsJohn Duchneskie
After a tense Upper Merion Township Planning Commission meeting last week, officials there voted not to recommend approval of three of O’Neill’s five plans. A hearing on the other two Upper Merion plans is set for Aug. 12.
After the planning commission reviews all the applications, the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors will ultimately decide whether to approve the projects.
In both Upper Merion and Plymouth Townships, some residents have rallied against the plans, packing township meetings, signing online petitions, putting anti-data-center signs on their lawns, and organizing on social media. They have cited concerns about light, noise, and air pollution; water usage; and electricity costs.
A yard sign protests the proposed Plymouth Township data center.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
On Monday, O’Neill reiterated that his Plymouth Township data center would make little noise, emit no light pollution, and operate on a closed-loop system that does not require outside water. He said it would generate its own power, not taxing the grid, and generate “billions of dollars in employment and economic development.”
“I am shocked that [the township council] can in good conscience not promote my plan, let alone publicly oppose it,” given office vacancies in the area, O’Neill said. In the past, “our developments have helped to create the vibrant community that Conshohocken and Plymouth are today.”
Viscio, the Plymouth Township Council chair, said that local officials wanted to ensure that O’Neill’s proposed data center improved residents’ quality of life — and that O’Neill’s efforts could prevent them from doing so.
“We will not allow ourselves to be bullied or intimidated by any developer,” Viscio said. “We will not dismiss legitimate concerns raised by our residents.”
She said the council would continue to oppose O’Neill’s application and his challenge to the zoning ordinance.
On Monday afternoon, O’Neill called back a reporter with an additional message for Plymouth Township officials: “We’re always willing to make a deal if they want to sit down and talk.”
The Upper Merion Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss three of Brian O’Neill’s five proposed data centers at its next meeting on Wednesday, July 22, according to Township Manager Anthony Hamaday and a meeting agenda posted online.
After receiving an overview of the project at an initial planning commission meeting in May, the township has “done an official review, and we have forwarded our comments to the applicant,” Hamaday said. The plans “have been revised and sent back.”
Next, Hamaday said, the planning commission will dive into the nitty-gritty, scrutinizing whether the project complies with township code.
Next Wednesday, they will review the proposed 2-million-square-foot data center at the Renaissance Boulevard office park; the proposed 370,000-square-foot data center at the current site of a daycare at 3200 Horizon Dr.; and the proposed 188,000-square-foot data center at an office and lab building on a remediated Superfund site at 2100 Renaissance Blvd.
The other two proposed data centers are set to be reviewed at a meeting on Aug. 12, Hamaday said Tuesday.
At the May meeting, O’Neill, whose MLP Ventures is behind the proposal, called it “an opportunity to change the world for the better” through AI-powered biotech that would complement his existing life-sciences complex, Discovery Labs. He said most of the centers would be leased to tenants, but has not specified which ones.
Anti-data center lawn signs seen in King of Prussia in late May.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Many area residents have rallied against the centers, with some displaying bright orange lawn signs that read: “Five data centers, 100 feet from here. Absolutely not!” Opponents have cited concerns about the potential for noise, light, and other pollution, as well as the general disruption to their daily lives.
Hundreds of people packed the May meeting. Hamaday said the forthcoming meetings would be moved to the Upper Merion Area Middle School to accommodate expected crowds. They will also be broadcast live, potentially on the local TV channel, he said, and streamed on Zoom.
Upper Merion Township isn’t the only place where O’Neill has set his sights.
Across the Schuylkill, on the outskirts of Conshohocken, the developer wants to build another 2 million-square-foot AI data center at the site of the former Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill. He has said the center would be operated by a tenant related to the life sciences.
The closed Cleveland-Cliffs steel Mill, pictured in June, where Brian O’Neill wants to build a 2-million-square-foot AI data center.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
He recently resubmitted a plan to Plymouth Township, and a procedural zoning hearing board meeting was held last month.
The next meeting about the Conshohocken-area project is scheduled for Aug. 6 at Colonial Middle School and via livestream on the township’s YouTube channel.
Both the Conshohocken-area and King of Prussia plans would require multiple recommendations and approvals before construction could begin.
This Fourth of July will be unlike any in recent memory. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, Philadelphia and the surrounding region are packed with celebrations — and fireworks displays. From the city and suburbs to South Jersey and the Shore, there are dozens of opportunities to catch a show.
Whether you’re staying in Philadelphia, heading to the suburbs, or spending the holiday down the Shore, here’s where to find Fourth of July fireworks across the region.
Wawa Welcome America: 🕙 July 4, 5 p.m. 📍Christina Aguilera and Philadelphia native Jill Scott headline a concert followed by fireworks, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pa., 19130, 🌐 july4thphilly.com
Conshohocken Fireworks Display: 🕙 July 3, 9:15 p.m., 📍The fireworks will take place at Sutcliffe Park, but the borough is closing the park and surrounding areas to the public due to the size of the display. (They advise you to watch the show from another vantage point in town.), 🌐 conshohockenpa.gov
The World Cup officially lands in Philly on June 14, when the Ivory Coast takes on Ecuador at the temporarily-renamed Philadelphia Stadium (aka Lincoln Financial Field) in South Philly, with five more games to follow.
But let’s be real: Getting into a match is going to be difficult. And besides, nothing screams Philly more than taking in a game at a local bar alongside strangers and Citywides that will give you the courage to cheer even louder.
Here are 19 bars in Philly and the suburbs that are going all-in on the World Cup, including four planning to be open until 4 a.m. for late-night matches.
🍺 Bars allowed to stay open until 4 a.m.
Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill into law permitting Philly bars to stay open until 4 a.m. for the duration of the World Cup. Just over 50 bars in the city thus far are eligible to apply for a permit to stay open that late, according to a list from the City of Philadelphia, and several told The Inquirer that extending their hours just wasn’t worth it.
On the eve of the World Cup, several bars were still waiting to get permit approval to stay open late.
These are four spots that plan to be open until 4 a.m. in Philly, from a bowling alley to a Latin American club-staurant.
The bar at Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse, 1941 Sansom St., on Aug. 31, 2022.MICHAEL KLEIN / Staff
While Cavanaugh’s Headhouse location has a rep among Newcastle United and Liverpool fans as a solid bar for soccer matches, the sports bar’s Rittenhouse location is the one that will be open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup. Cav’s will be serving daily drinks and food specials, and is one of more than 20 bars participating in the Crawl for the Cup, a citywide World Cup-themed bar crawl, including a scavenger hunt, on June 20.
The World Cup is practically a 24 / 7 event at Mamajuana. The Latin American Northern Liberties club-staurant will be staying open until 4 a.m. on match days while also hosting Sunday brunches and watch parties for 10 games from June 13 through July 19. The club’s World Cup special promises mascot appearances, daily food specials, and limited-edition cocktails, such as the Golden Cup, an old-fashioned served in a gold globe-shaped goblet. A full schedule can be found on Mamajuana’s Instagram.
This lively Hunting Park institution will be open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup to broadcast games in its downstairs bar and upstairs night club. Tierra Colombiana’s menu spans Latin America, which means you can have arepas while Colombia plays, ceviche during Ecuador’s matches, and extra large mojitos all tournament long.
Soccer at a bowling alley? That’s literally the vibe at Oregon Avenue’s South Bowl, a bowling alley and bar (with an outdoor lounge) that is staying open until 4 a.m. to broadcast the following matches: Australia vs. Turkey on June 14, Austria vs. Jordan on June 17, and Tunisia vs. Japan on June 21. Games will play on the screens above each lane, which means there’s the potential to land a strike while watching pro athletes score goals.
If the 4 a.m. crowd isn’t your speed, these 10 Philly bars are hosting World Cup watch parties that don’t skimp on the fun — even if they aren’t going all night long.
Scenes from the opening night of Bok Bar — initially called Le Bok Fin — in 2015.Michelle Gustafson
The Black Taxi
This Irish pub in Fairmount has long been a host for English Premier League matches, at one point even displaying the trophy for an afternoon of photo ops. Roughly a half-mile from the FIFA Fan Fest at Lemon Hill, this is the spot to take in a game with a perfect pour of Guinness.
📍 745-747 N. 25th St., 📞 215-232-1086, 🌐 theblacktaxi.com
All of Philly’s tournament matches will be simulcast on screen’s atop Philly’s most famous rooftop bar, which is hosting Puyero Venezulean Flavor for a monthlong food pop-up in June that includes arepas, empanadas, and bite-sized churros. Where else can you see the lights from the Linc — I mean, Philadelphia Stadium — twinkle in distance during a knockout game on July 4?
The crowd at Brauhaus Schmitz in Philadelphia cheers USA’s first goal against the Netherlands in the World Cup on Dec. 3, 2022.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Bella Vista’s sprawling German biergarten is taking the party to the streets, closing down the block for free outdoor watch parties for matches on June 25, June 27, July 3, July 4, and July 19. Games will be broadcast on 20-foot-tall TVs in the middle of South Street, while indoors will feature 34 beers on tap, surprise giveaways, and burgers with novelty soccer ball pretzel buns. And on non-block party days, Brauhaus Schmitz will be still be airing World Cup matches indoors.
This Brazilian sports bar in Northeast Philly is the place to be for fans of team Brazil and is hosting not one, but two lively watch parties during the team’s match against Morocco on June 13 and Haiti on June 19. And if you’re only there for the vibes, Guanabara has a rooftop, three types of caipirinhas, and Brazilian-style cheesesteaks.
Known for its supremely satisfying smashburger, this neighborhood bar with a French twist has big plans for the Group Stage. Good King Tavern will open daily starting at 3 p.m. with an extended happy hour that features mini cocktails and street food-style snacks. Its upstairs wine bar, Le Caveau, will also be getting in on the action, which means you can sip a draft negroni and nosh on a fancy hot dog while watching your team of choice.
A bar where you can play 18-holes of mini golf between matches? Sign us up. Libertee Grounds will be gamifying its World Cup watch parties with the Pitch Passport, a punch card that rewards guest for watching every game at the bar-slash-indoor-mini-golf-course. How it works: Earn a punch for each nation when you a watch a match, which are redeemable for rewards such as a free beer, mini golf passes, or a lifetime membership. Drink specials will also be available.
This Chinatown sports bar is committed to soccer year-round, airing everything from Premier League matches to La Liga games on its 35 TVs. Expect the World Cup to be no different. Lion Sports Bar will be airing all matches at its original location and taking over Yamitsuki Ramen across the street for a ticketed open bar and buffet. Also available at both locations: a signature World Cup pink margarita garnished with collectible Lionel Messi stickers.
This longstanding Irish Pub in Center City is the official home of Philly’s Chelsea FC and Manchester City FC clubs, so you can expect that it will be a hub for World Cup games. The bar will air all 104 matches (with the sound on!) across 14 TVs and two projectors. Weeks one and two of the tournament are bringing specials on Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois, plus a ticket giveaway on June 13 for a future match.
The real fun at this rowdy, double-decker sports bar comes during the USMNT’s matches against Paraguay on June 12, Australia on June 19, and Turkey on June 25. The American Outlaws — the official support group for Team USA — will be taking over Top Tomato during those games for block parties with a live DJ that are open to all, no RSVP required.
The newly renovated (and re-christened) Stateside Live! now includes a rooftop bar and beer garden. Just steps away from the action at Philadelphia Stadium, what will it offer soccer fans? The entertainment complex is hosting the official World Cup pregame for ticketholders. A match ticket and $50 will get you expedited entry and access to a tailgate with a food voucher, while $175 buys a spot at a prematch buffet with cheesesteaks, roast pork sandwiches, and open bar.
Stateside Live! will also be open to the general public during all six of Philly’s World Cup games. Matches will be simulcast on the venue’s new outdoor stage alongside a selection of food trucks.
But if you’re looking to keep it extra local during the World Cup, these bars in the Philly suburbs are going above and beyond for the World Cup, from erecting a pop-up beer garden to brewing a special IPA.
The Landing Kitchen, an all-day cafe created by Nicholas Elmi and Fia Berisha at the riverside redevelopment of the Pencoyd Ironworks on July 10, 2021.CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Located in Bala Cynwyd, just across the Pencoyd Bridge from Manayunk, this all-day riverside cafe with a family friendly vibe will be broadcasting all quarterfinal, semifinal, and finals matches outdoors on a 164-inch screen. Chef Nicholas Elmi will be firing up a smoker for barbecue specials during the games, and guests are strongly encouraged to play bocce or relax at a fire pit during halftime.
Named one of the 10 best bars for watching soccer in the U.S. by the Men in Blazers, Bucks County’s Villa Capri is one of the only bars in the Philadelphia suburbs that has committed to airing all 104 World Cup matches — with the sound on. The Doylestown bar is also rolling a limited-edition cocktail menu for the tournament that includes drinks such as the $14 Equalizer margarita, which comes in passionfruit, pineapple, strawberry, or pomegranate.
This haunt for West Chester University students already has a reputation in Chester County as a Liverpool bar that airs Philadelphia Union games. During the World Cup, Kildare’s is going all in on USMNT. The bar will be shutting down a portion of Gay Street for a free, 21+ watch party during Team USA’s matchup against Paraguay on June 12. Kildare’s will also be showing a selection of other games starting at noon daily, with to-be-announced drink and food specials on offer.
Malvern’s Locust Lane Craft Brewery is hosting a pop-up World Cup beer garden in Upper Merion’s Nor-View Farm Park with free entry from June 11 through July 19. Games will be broadcast on TVs under the park’s pavilion, where attendees can bring their own chairs and enjoy a selection of $8 beers on tap, plus food from the Epicurian Garage Truck. The beer garden will open one hour before the first broadcast game and close before midnight; schedule can be found here.
A former New Jersey Brewery of the Year, Zed’s Beer takes the World Cup as seriously as it takes its brews. The Marlton bar will be airing all Team USA matches, alongside several other key games as designated on the bar’s digital calendar. Also on offer: Soccer-themed quizzo and a new limited-edition IPA called the “48 hops for 48 teams.” Made with hops from each country with a qualifying FIFA team, this beer will be available for the duration of the tournament.
📍19 N. Maple Ave., Ste. A, Marlton, N.J. 📞 856-872-7632, 🌐 drinkzeds.com
