After Illinois men’s basketball advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2026 NCAA tournament, the City of Champaign issued an emergency order halting retail liquor license holders from selling alcohol between 6 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen declared Saturday’s game a potential “threat to the public health, safety and welfare from celebratory activities by members of the public,” according to the city’s press release.
The order also restricts retail license holders delivering alcohol to any location within the designated geographic area, along with sales of more than one keg of beer being prohibited beginning 6 a.m. Saturday until the end of the period.
Sale of alcoholic beverages at establishments licensed for the service of alcohol will be permitted in plastic, paper or aluminum containers between 3 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Prince Ghuman, owner of Illini Pantry, finds the order unfair for retailers and small businesses that must stop selling alcohol while bars are allowed to continue serving patrons.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“Like 99% of our clientele is local,” Ghuman said. “If, as a small business owner, we’re going to get penalized for something like this, why not them?”
Ghuman unsuccessfully attempted to reach the mayor immediately after the order was issued around 11 a.m today. After calling Deputy Liquor Commissioner Jeff Hamilton three times, Ghuman received a call back around 1 p.m., with Hamilton expressing sympathies.
The city held a Zoom meeting at 2:30 p.m. for affected retailers to offer clarity and answer questions. Ghuman was the only owner in attendance.
“I talked to (other owners), and they were like ‘We don’t even want to attend because it’s not going to go anywhere,’” Ghuman said.
Hamilton spoke to The Daily Illini, reinforcing the city’s responsibility to prioritize public safety above everything.
“We saw the activities that happened at Alma Mater and we had some public safety concerns,” Hamilton said. “We want to make sure everybody is safe and that everybody goes home and there’s no injuries.”
After Illinois defeated Houston in the Sweet 16 Thursday, a crowd of students rushed to Alma Mater, with dozens climbing the statue in celebration.
Hamilton emphasized that the city is not requiring businesses to shut down. They can continue to sell any non-alcoholic products like cigarettes, vapes and snacks.
Looking forward, the city will not make a decision about any further action until Saturday’s game ends.
“If the Illini win tomorrow night — and we certainly hope that they do just like everybody in town — on Monday, the Liquor Commissioner’s Office that I work in, along with our public safety partners from the UIPD and the Champaign Police Department and fire departments, will discuss how things went last weekend,” Hamilton said. “We’ll make some decisions as to whether or not we need to do another emergency order.”
