Each year, it seems, Americans rely less on weather forecasts and more on big brands, like Starbucks SBUX, to alert them when the seasons change. Fall, for example, began in August, slightly ahead of the turning leaves, with the annual launch of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, and yuletide bells started jingling when Starbucks’ holiday cups came out, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, on November 2.
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Starbucks brings the holiday cheer
Festive cups aren’t the only item on Starbucks’ holiday menu: Its 2023 lineup includes the new Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai, along with returning favorites like Caramel Brulee Latte, and perennial hit, Peppermint Mocha.
Along with the release of Starbucks’ holiday cups, all 18,000 Starbucks stores seemingly transformed overnight into a holiday wonderland, with bags of Christmas-blend coffee beans nestled snugly on shelves, holiday music merrily ringing out (part of Starbucks’ collaboration with Spotify), and baristas donning festive red aprons instead of their everyday green ones.
Related: Starbucks wages: How much can you make wearing the green apron?
The world’s largest coffee roaster also rolls out special holiday promotions. The most eagerly anticipated of them is Starbucks’ Red Cup Day when stores give away 16 oz. reusable coffee tumblers for free, while supplies last. And although Starbucks keeps its lips zipped on exactly when that day will be each year, it isn’t hard to estimate based on seasons past.
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What are Starbucks' holiday cup designs this year?
For its 2023 holiday cup collection, Starbucks added a bold dash of magenta to its traditional, seasonal palette.
“When we were looking at trends when designing this year’s holiday, we kept seeing bright, bold, uplifting colors,’” said Kristy Cameron, creative director at Starbucks. “We found that magenta alongside the holiday reds and greens lifts the traditional holiday colors and makes the red look even brighter.”
Five new cup designs (including one for cold beverages) make up Starbucks’ 2023 holiday collection:
- Party Plaid, a modern take on a tartan blanket
- Peppermint Swirl, inspired by the frosty holiday candy
- Ribbon Spool, which looks just like it sounds, after you’ve wrapped some presents
- Bauble Wrap, which takes its cues from another popular wrapping item and pairs well with the holiday cup’s tapered shape
- Frosted Bauble, which is designed for cold beverage cups and features snow-white specters of holiday shapes
Each cup design fits into Starbucks’s 2023 theme, “Share the Joy,” and even comes with a gift tag so you can pen a special note for a friend or loved one. After all, Cameron adds, “It’s our shared human experience and togetherness that makes the season special.”
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What is Starbucks Red Cup Day 2023? When is it?
Starbucks’ holiday cups have built passionate brand loyalty for the coffee chain. The roastery, in turn, is known for having a sixth sense as to what its customers want. For instance, it was one of the first coffee chains to incorporate augmented reality (AR) into their cups: In 2011, viewers received a holiday gift when they scanned a code on their holiday cups, which unlocked a set of virtual characters via the Starbucks App.
Starbucks’ promotions are what appeal most to its customers — especially when they don’t cost anything. That’s why one of Starbucks’ busiest days is Red Cup Day when customers can order a drink from Starbucks’ holiday menu and receive the reusable, 16 oz. red tumbler it comes in, free of charge.
Related: PSL nation: How Starbucks’ pumpkin spice lattes became a cultural icon
Red Cup Day typically falls on the third Thursday of November; that means in 2023, Red Cup Day is expected to take place on November 16.
Proceeds from Starbucks’ earliest Red Cup Days, in 2010, supported HIV/AIDs research. In 2022, Red Cup Day was rolled out as part of Starbucks' efforts to promote sustainability, since the tumblers are reusable. That day, the chain also vowed to reduce its waste by 50% by 2030.
But Starbucks’ red cups have also been known to stir up controversy.
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What are some of the controversies associated with Starbucks’ Red Cups?
In 2015, internet personality Joshua Feuerstein posted a rant accusing Starbucks of “hating Jesus” because its holiday cup was devoid of Christmas imagery. Starbucks said that year’s cup design was blank so that customers could adorn it with their own holiday art. But Feuerstein took that to mean that the chain had erased all Christian symbolism from its holiday cups.
That claim was a bit misleading since Starbucks had never featured specifically Christian designs. However, then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump took up Feurestein’s cause and called for his own supporters to boycott Starbucks stores over the holiday season.
Later on, in 2022, more than 2,000 unionized Starbucks employees staged a labor strike for higher pay and benefits, choosing to strike on Red Cup Day specifically because it was one of the store’s busiest days of the year. However, negotiations would stall, and the workers would go on strike again in December 2022 and later in June 2023.
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How do I get a Starbucks Red Cup?
Simply order a holiday (or fall) beverage at participating Starbucks stores on Thursday, November 16, and you will receive your drink in a free red cup, while supplies last.
You can place your order in person, via the Starbucks app, or through Starbucks Delivery.
Here’s the complete list of eligible drinks:
- Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato
- Caramel Brulée Latte
- Chestnut Praline Latte
- Hot Chocolate
- Irish Cream Cold Brew
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Peppermint Mocha
- Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
- Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
- Toasted White Hot Chocolate
- Toasted White Chocolate Mocha
- White Hot Chocolate
Drinks can be made hot, iced, or blended.
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How have Starbucks holiday cups evolved over the years?
Remarkably, Starbucks holiday cups weren’t always red. The first ones introduced, back in 1997, were more of an eggplant shade and featured a swirled design that was hand-picked by Starbucks’ founder, Howard Shultz.
Tragically, those design files were lost in an earthquake that hit Seattle in 2001.
In 1999, the first candy-apple red cup made its appearance. In the years since, Starbucks has featured whimsical drawings of snowflakes, houses, stars, reindeer, and other holiday iconography on its signature red cups.
Are Starbucks Red Cups reusable?
The 2023 Starbucks red cup tumbler is made with 50% recycled plastic. You can bring it into any U.S. Starbucks location and receive 10 cents off your beverage plus 25 bonus stars (if you are ordering from the app).
In addition, Starbucks red cups are BPA-free and are safe to use in the dishwasher or microwave.
