The magical atmosphere of Brno’s Christmas markets, which began last Friday, would not be complete without the smell of mulled wine and punch. Visitors can enjoy hot drinks in popular cups featuring the Brno dragon, as well as in stylish enamel mugs.
The Brno-střed district introduced Christmas cups featuring the dragon exploring the city and its landmarks for the first time last year. Since then, they have become one of the symbols of Christmas in Brno. Thanks to their functionality and playful design, they are very popular. Last year alone, 152,000 cups were taken home as souvenirs.
Moreover, people’s interest continues. In less than a week, visitors to the Christmas markets have taken home over forty thousand cups. The most popular cups feature new designs, such as a dragon decorating a Christmas tree, baking cookies, riding a tram or celebrating Kometa ice-hockey team’s championship title. This year, the city district purchased 350,000 cups in total for the entire Christmas markets in Brno.
Another new feature of this year’s Christmas season is the original enamel mug, which are also decorated with the Brno dragon. So far, over 500 people have purchased these stylish mugs, which can be bought at gift stands. Due to high demand, the city district has also allowed vendors to serve hot drinks in the enamel mugs.
The Christmas cups form part of a unified returnable system involving all vendors, including restaurant garden operators. The city district received CZK 2.7 million from the European Union to cover the costs of operating the system and purchasing the cups. This will cover around half of the total costs.
As part of the Daruj kelímek (Donate the Cup) charity project, it is again possible to donate cups to a good cause this year. By returning a cup, you can support the work of one of eighteen non-profit organisations directly. In less than a week of the market being open, visitors donated over CZK 250,000 to charity, which is CZK 50,000 more than last year.
