On Monday, the 14th of October, Prague banned night pub crawls, where participants go from bar to bar under the guidance of a guide, in order to reduce the noise caused by drunk tourists at night, and to target more “cultured” tourists, citing Czech media report, writes Politico.
The new law, passed by lawmakers in the Czech capital, will be in force from 10pm to 6am and does not affect regular tour groups.
“Unreasonable alcohol consumption and disruptive behaviour associated with pub crawls can give the impression of a lack of culture in society, can reduce the sense of safety and … can have a negative impact on how the city is perceived by tourists, potential investors and residents themselves,” the city’s motion says.
Prague’s deputy mayor Zdeněk Hřib told reporters on Monday that “guided tours will not be possible at night”, while deputy mayor Jiří Pospíšil said the city was “looking for more cultured, wealthier tourists… not those who come for a short while just to have a drink”.
Residents of central Prague have long complained about noise and safety problems caused by booze-loving tourists.
Simon Old, Prague Specialist for two of the UK’s leading stag and hen party providers StagWeb.co.uk and GoHen.com, criticized Prague’s pub crawl ban from 10 pm, calling it “half-hearted”.
“Whilst they’re well within their rights to try and curb anti-social behaviour, people will just do their own pub crawls or do them earlier on,” he said, adding: “Being a destination that has profited for years on its reputation for being a bit of a party city, it seems like they’re trying to have their cake and eat it with this.”
“I don’t think it will deter stags and hens from heading to Prague at all,” he said.
The city’s cobbled streets are full of pubs and breweries and, according to the Czech Brewers Association, average Czech beer consumption is the highest in the world, and in 2023 on average a Czech drank 128 litres of beer.