Downing shots while beaten over head & stripping after absinthe, I joined Prague’s last late night pub crawl before ban
SHOTS of absinthe are downed all around as the mooning reveller pulls up his pants after flashing his bum in the bar.
At another underground hang-out, a guy tries to finish his drink while staff ritually smack him round the head with crates, bottles and anything else they can find.
Thankfully, they have supplied him with a helmet to protect him from the worst blows.
Round the corner, lads do their best pole-dancer impressions around a metal stick on top of a bar table, while unimpressed locals try to dodge the army of stumbling drunks.
Welcome to another typical night on Prague’s famous stag-do circuit, where half a million British fun-seekers flock every year for the cheap beer and exciting nightlife.
The party was in full swing when The Sun visited the Czech Republic’s capital city last week.
But the revelry, which has pumped cash into the local economy for decades, is coming to an end due to new hardline rules introduced by the mayor of the Prague 1 district — the medieval city centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The rules, which came into force yesterday, ban pub crawls and fancy dress between 10pm and 6am, the sweet spot for boozy revellers.
City councillor Adam Zabransky said: “We don’t want to support cheap alco-tourism that’s unfortunately still quite common in Prague.”
And Prague 1’s mayor Terezie Radomerska said: “The ban is driven by our desire to reduce disruptive behaviour, especially connected with events such as stag and hen parties.
“They often result in excessive noise and disturbance for locals and other visitors.
“These activities do not align with the type of tourism we aim to cultivate.”
The Sun went to Prague to find out exactly what all this means for locals, well used to these often chaotic scenes in their beautiful city centre.
Certainly business owners are unhappy with the move. Conscious that the clampdown will hit their profits, they reckon it won’t stop loud drunks roaming the streets anyway.
One bar owner, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s a witch hunt and the town hall is trying to get publicity because elections aren’t far off.
“The party who are in charge of Prague 1 are in trouble for mismanagement and trying to get leverage with the public to get them to vote for them.
“They want popularity with the locals in the city centre who can vote for them, even though this will hurt our economy.
“Tourism is so important and a big part of our income.”
Witch hunt
They also pointed out that the busiest street for nightlife, Dlouhá — which translates as Long Street — has an old people’s home opposite all-night club James Dean, leading locals to object to the noise outside from boozed-up revellers.
It is also where the city’s rent-controlled flats are, right above the nightclubs, where many bar crawls end.
The historic buildings lack proper double glazing due to rules limiting the type of glass that can be used.
The Sun stayed in one of these poorly-glazed buildings and every night we were woken by loud drunks making their way home.
We also joined one of the final bar crawls — which have been touted as Europe’s largest — and witnessed nearly 100 people shouting and screaming as they were herded from bar to bar.
An English stag do chanted: “We love Prague” on repeat at full volume, despite being told that the two rules on the crawl were no drinks outside and to be quiet between venues.
“I’ve just given up trying to get them to be quiet,” an exasperated young guide told me as he attempted to shepherd more than 100 people to the next destination.
Another told me she has had to call an ambulance for someone on the crawl during every month that she has worked for the company.
On the bar crawl is Peter Atkin, from Leeds, with 14 of his closest male friends and family on his stag do, ahead of his wedding next year.
He said: “It’s been really fun, I’m having a great time. I don’t see why they wouldn’t want us here.”
For the first two hours, free beer, wine and shots are provided before punters are herded to three more bars with just a free shot at each.
Peter’s mate Ben Rawlings said: “It’s not really a bar crawl with just four bars — we do 12 or 13 back home. It’s been fun though, even if the free beer is grim.”
Before joining the evening bar-hopping, they visited a boozer where the ritual for the groom was to put on a helmet so bartenders could hit him around the head as he tried to neck some shots.
Also on the Friday night event was Sam Thir and his four mates from Northampton, who had come for a lads’ holiday — which they joked was a stag do. Sam, 28, said: “They shouldn’t ban the pub crawl, it’s a bit of fun.
“We get drunk and rowdy, but at the same time we’re supporting the local economy.
“We’re drinking local beer, plus it’s a great way to meet other people, and it doesn’t go on that late.”
And it’s not just blokes on the crawl, either. Millie Humberstone, 19, has found it a great way to meet people.
She told The Sun: “Everyone I’ve met in Prague has been on one of these events.
“I’ve made such good memories. I can’t imagine what it would be like coming here without them.”
When The Sun bumped into her the following day, she was on her second crawl and had made friends with fellow Brits Georgia Considine, 19, and Ruby Smith, 22.
And it is not just tourists who love the wild antics that bar- hopping allows.
Local Nina Riche is against the bar-crawl clampdown and said: “I love tourists. They spend a lot of time and money here. They are very loud and wild, but I think that is fun.
Everyone I’ve met in Prague has been on one of these events. I’ve made such good memories. I can’t imagine what it would be like coming here without them
Millie Humberstone
“They try everything. People are very respectful if they get told off and apologise.
“I am the biggest fan of these pub crawls. I’m going to have to move to the UK, now it’s being banned. I like getting to know new people, and this is the best way to do it.”
And the locals themselves do not hold back from enjoying the region’s beer. In 2021 the average Prague citizen drank more than 184 litres, or around a pint a day.
And the local brews are often cheaper than bottled water, at less than £3 a pint. Last year Prague was visited by seven million tourists, of which half a million were British, while more than two million were Germans.
And despite the new rules, bar workers are hopeful that boozy tourists will keep on coming.
Mimi Letcheva, 50, manager of The Dubliners Irish pub, said: “I hope what the council has said will have the opposite effect of what they’re wanting.
“I hope it brings us even more customers who want a good time.”
Her fellow bar manager Ben McBride also defends stag parties.
Normally everyone is pretty well-behaved because they’re here to have a good time and enjoy themselves
Ben McBride
He said: “They get an unfairly bad rap, but we’ve never had a problem with them.
“Normally everyone is pretty well-behaved because they’re here to have a good time and enjoy themselves.”
When The Sun visited the pub, there were six British and Irish stag dos enjoying Guinness and local beers at three in the afternoon.
Ben, 32, added: “There’s not really any drinking hours in Prague.
“If people wanted to, they could drink all day. Big groups spend a hell of a lot, and that is going into the economy. It’s good for it.”
Double Trouble bar manager Peter reckons 90 per cent of his business comes from tourists, thanks to being just off the famous Old Town Square.
He said: “We absolutely love British people and we don’t want them to stop coming to us.
“Yes, you’re drunk and loud, but you’re having fun and people always calm down when we tell them to.
“People from Britain are always funny, responsible and generous with their money. We’re always happy to see them here.”