Eight days, two cities, dozens of bars and thousands of drinks. This year’s Prague–Brno Cocktail Week demonstrated that Czech cocktail culture is built on a strong community—one capable of bringing both Prague and Brno to life in the space of a single week.
An intense cocktail week
This year, Prague–Brno Cocktail Week opted for a compact format running from 6 to 13 May—and it was precisely this concentration of events that proved crucial. Instead of a laid-back festival, a dynamic “cocktail sprint” emerged, holding the attention of guests and bartenders alike from the first day to the last. Twenty-seven bars in Prague and ten in Brno took part in the programme; approximately 1,500 tickets were sold in total, and nearly 5,000 cocktails were served.
The Prague leg was built on a strong foundation of venues that set the local standard—from Golden Eye through Taigen and Savage Bar, and L’Fleur right through to AnonymouS Bar. Each brought its own interpretation of the festival menu, yet it was clear they were all playing as one team.
Brno followed with its own energy and flair. Bar, který neexistuje, Super Panda Circus and 4pokoje confirmed that the Moravian scene is not “second-tier”, but a confident partner that brings both authenticity and playfulness to the joint project.
Cocktail Week as a platform
A significant shift is evident in how the festival works with its content. This year’s edition saw 39 brands across the alcoholic and non-alcoholic segments get involved, and their role has long since gone beyond mere partnership. Monin, Crystalex, Paragon, Three Cents, Unibind MENU and Vegg White made their mark directly on the drinks, guest shifts and educational activities.
As a result, Prague–Brno Cocktail Week no longer feels like a series of isolated events, but rather a functional platform where creativity, business and education converge. The intensive week-long format adds a sense of momentum—bartenders create new drinks, guests plan their evenings in advance, and the city (or rather, the two cities) lives and breathes cocktails in unison.
A finale with real drive
The climax came at Phenomen Club, where the closing party turned into an energetic finale to the whole week. The programme wasn’t just about the last drink, however—the evening also featured the Czech final of the MONIN Cup 2026 and the Bacardi Flair Competition, which added spectacle and excitement to the night.
This year’s Prague–Brno Cocktail Week demonstrated that the strength of the Czech bar scene lies not only in individual venues, but also in their ability to pull together—even in an extremely condensed format. As the main media partner, VisitChef was able to witness how, over the course of eight days, something was created that goes beyond the drinks themselves: a community with a clear direction and ever-growing ambitions. If the festival maintains this momentum in future years, it could become one of the most interesting cocktail events in Central Europe.
