Fox 31 Denver
Rule change for businesses hosting Broncos watch parties
By Nicole Fierro
January 14, 2026
The city of Denver is hoping to help bars and restaurants take advantage of the Denver Broncos’ success with a temporary change to the city’s application process for bars to use more outdoor space.
At Tom’s Watch Bar, where an inflatable Thunder greets you at the door, the restaurant is getting ready to host quite the experience come Saturday.
“We have a partnership with Breckenridge Distillery and the Broncos,” Director of Brand Partnerships for Tom’s Watch Bar Devon Gleason said. “We’re throwing some watch parties with giveaways and signed items, all that fun stuff. We’ve worked with the city of Denver to put on an expanded footprint, so they’ve very graciously worked through some expedited permitting to allow us to bring fans the best watch party experience possible.”
Tom’s is working with the city to utilize even more of the restaurant’s space for the rest of the NFL season.
“We’re utilizing a lot of MacGregor Square for some expanded activations, which is going to make it a really cool experience,” Gleason said. “We want to capitalize on that time outside with the nice weather.
And so all of that expanded space is really going to help us just deliver a better experience for fans, bring more people down here to celebrate the Broncos together. And that’s what it’s all about,”
Now, the city is hoping more bars will do the same if they have the space allotted.
“It’s been 10 years since we had a home playoff game that everyone can go,” Denver’s Director of Communications with Licensing and Consumer Protection Eric Escudero said. “Hopefully, there are some bars and restaurants that can have some of the best watch parties we’ve ever seen in the city, and we want to do as a city what we can to help them take advantage of this economic opportunity.”
Escudero explained that businesses will still need inspections to get the green light, but they hope to complete them as fast as possible, with the Super Bowl less than 30 days away. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection is temporarily waiving the rule that businesses must apply at least 30 days before the anticipated temporary expansion of a licensed premise during the duration of the Broncos’ participation in the NFL playoffs.
“It’s our duty as a city to help businesses thrive, especially when a golden opportunity like this arises,” Escudero said.
Escudero suggests that businesses interested in expanding for watch parties apply as soon as possible. For fans, restaurants suggest getting to bars early Saturday to enjoy and get a good spot.
