A beautiful European city that is a popular tourist destination for British travellers is proposing new rules to tackle rowdy behaviour by holidaymakers – specifically stag and hen dos. A district council in Prague, Czechia, has suggested that outrageous costumes worn by stag and hen party groups should be banned to deal with overtourism and reduce the toll of nightlife on locals in the city.
Representatives from the Prague 1 district council are in talks with the city municipality to explore the possibility of banning unsuitable tourist attire in the Czech capital, The Independent reports.
The suggested “silly costume” ban is proposed to address noise pollution and unruly tourist behaviour in the area’s nightlife scene.
In the suggestion, Prague 1 council member Bronislava Sitár Baboráková mentioned that the costumes go beyond what’s generally accepted and hurt locals, especially affecting elderly people and children, as reported by Prague Morning.
Prague 1 encompasses significant landmarks such as the medieval old town, Prague Castle, and the Charles Bridge, most of which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The pub crawls and beer tours, mainly centred around bars and nightclubs near Wenceslas Square, are quite popular among British tourists celebrating stag and hen parties, often dressed in various themed costumes and inflatable outfits.
According to StagWeb, a leading UK stag party company, Prague ranks as their fourth most favored European destination for 2024, following Benidorm, Albufeira, and Dublin.
Jon Stainer, StagWeb’s creative director, said: “We completely understand if places want to ban stags from wearing offensive or explicit costumes, but we’re not entirely sure how that will stop noise pollution.
“The majority of guys who dress up are very respectful and just having a bit of fun, so it seems like a strange measure if it’s a blanket ban.”
He added: “I get they’re trying to placate the locals whilst still benefiting from the thousands of stag parties that head there, but I don’t see the measure having any impact.”
The success of such a costume ban is also the subject of debate with city officials.
Adam Zábranský, the councillor for property, transparency and legislation, said that a ban will not solve the problem: “I understand the effort made to solve the problem of pub crawls, I also perceive them as very annoying for people living in the centre of Prague.
“But I don’t think we should solve it by banning the childish behaviour of bachelor party participants who dress up in costumes,” reports local media outlet Expats CZ.
