This petition is in support of the "Drink Some Water Act of New York City", an ask from New Yorkers to City Council to pass a law with three main goals:

• Require nightlife and entertainment establishments to construct and maintain easily accessible, strategically placed, and sufficiently supplied drinking water stations (at no cost to guests) and separated from the bar;*
• Require outdoor events/ assembly spaces to arrange for and provide mobile water stations (at no cost to guests)
• Re-launch the 2019 Department of Environmental Protection's “Water-On-The-Go” mobile water station program for heat-vulnerable communities.

*Indoor venues that are DOH-certified Food Service Establishments are exempt from this requirement. 

It's time for New York City, the greatest city in the world for nightlife and events, to follow the examples of the many places around the world that require free water stations at alcohol-serving venues and large outdoor events, including:

Australia
Brazil
Spain
Toronto, Canada
Connecticut
Minnesota
Utah
San Francisco, CA
Chicago, IL
Redlands, CA

The 2025 NYC Heat-Related Mortality Report revealed that more than 500 people die each year from heat-related illness. On June 24, 2025, 112 people visited NYC emergency rooms for heat-illness, the most in the system's history (70 people visited the day before).

Also, while EDM and rock music are the most popular genres for event-goers in NYC, research shows that events of these genres showed far greater likelihoods of hospital admissions from heat-related illness than others. 

At a time when medical services are getting cut at each level, and as healthcare becomes less accessible and more expensive, we don't need people in scarce hospital beds for hours with an $800 IV saline drip. 

A Free Water Requirement would also help businesses. Expensive and scarce water at events repels potential customers; people are tired of paying for water after they've already paid for tickets/entrance fees and alcoholic beverages. Many people also have medical conditions in which consistent water intake is crucial. A requirement to provide free water would entice more people to go out and enable them to stay out longer. 

This can be implemented in many ways; the Dept. of Health can launch a PILOT program to replicate city-funded mobile water services for events, such as Durham, NC's "H2O 2 Go Program", or mobile "water buggies" provided by Kansas City, MO, Boston, MA, Eugene, OR, and many others.

We can require a minimum number of operator-provided water stations based on capacity, and make sure they're set up to be accessible, visible, and ADA-compliant. We can make free water provisions requirements for obtaining the necessary permits and licenses for venues to operate.

The possibilities are endless, but let's be clear: nightlife keeps NYC going. As several other governments already recognized, especially given ever-rising summer temperatures, hosts have an obligation to play a role in their guests' health and safety. Free water for guests, workers, and everyone else on-premises, is a bare minimum.