The Czech capital Prague, which has long been a popular destination among partygoers for its raucous stag parties, has decided to ban pub crawls at night.

The ban passed by local city councilors on Monday means that bar crawls – in which participants follow a guide from bar to bar – cannot take place in the city between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to Czech media .

But why did Prague, a city famous for its beer and party culture, choose to ban pub crawls?

Here’s a closer look.

Beer is cheaper than water in Prague

Prague, a city of 1.3 million people, has long attracted raucous stag parties and enthusiastic pub crawls, particularly from the United Kingdom.

In 2023, the country had the highest beer consumption in the world, with 128 liters per person, despite a steady decline in attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This love for beer has for years earned the Czech Republic the title of thirstiest country in the world. nation.

A recent study found that Prague had one of the highest densities of pubs per person in the world.

According to money.comthe city has 47.87 pubs per 100,000 inhabitants. It even hosts “Europe’s biggest pub crawl” called Prague Pub Crawls, which offers free drinks and club entry.

Beer prices in the country are very attractive for tourists, sometimes even cheaper than water in some restaurants. Many establishments in the UNESCO-listed historic center serve the famous local lager for less than €3 a pint.

However, municipal authorities are now taking measures to limit these nighttime party scenes.

Prague puts an end to pub crawls

Prague is tightening controls on its vibrant nightlife, with deputy mayor Zdeněk Hřib saying: AFP that “it will not be possible to have guided tours” at night. Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Jiri Pospisil expressed the city’s goal of attracting “a more cultured and wealthier tourist… not a tourist who comes for a short time just to get drunk.”

Complaints from downtown residents about noise and safety concerns caused by partygoers have been growing for years. Officials say the ban is intended to address these local concerns.

The city’s motion notes that “unreasonable alcohol consumption and disruptive behavior associated with pub crawls can create the impression of a lack of culture in the community and reduce the feeling of safety.”

He adds that such behavior “can have a negative impact on the perception of the municipality by tourists, potential investors and citizens themselves.”

Vaclav Starek, president of the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants, welcomed the decision. He said AFP“Traveling to the center in search of beer is a problem for the local population and for other tourists as well.”

He added: “I don’t think it will hurt our sales. No one will be banned from going to a pub, but these organized nightly pub crawls… are nothing we need.

Prague now joins a wave of European cities moving towards managing mass tourism. In Amsterdam, restrictions have curbed rowdy tourist behavior by banning large tourist groups and limiting the sale of alcohol. The Dutch city’s ‘stay away’ campaign encourages tourists to consider going elsewhere if they only plan to ‘let loose’.

Likewise, Venice imposed its own measures, including banning loudspeakers and large groups, and Barcelona announced it would ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028.

Also read: Why this Spanish city is asking British tourists to keep their clothes on

Pub crawl organization protest

Following the announcement, the owner of a well-established pub crawl agency in Prague, which has been operating in the city for 14 years, said the noise situation would get worse after the ban came into force.

“We believe that getting rid of organized pub crawls after 10 p.m. – their only job is to keep people quiet on the streets and help enforce local laws by working with the police – will only make things worse overall,” they told the Czech news site. Expats.cz.

They further stated that no pub crawl organization was consulted before the decision was made.

“Not a single pub crawl has been approached by the city to try to cooperate in finding a solution. We are open and willing to work with the city and help resolve the nighttime noise and group size issues that we are trying to resolve. »

They added: “Unfortunately, the mayor and municipal authorities do not seem to care about cooperation. Their only goal is to score political points by passing an amendment that would make the city less safe and noisier.”

With the contribution of agencies