Starbucks Red Cup Day returns this week, 1st look at the seasonal design
The holiday menu is officially be back at Starbucks and with the return of seasonal favorites like Iced Gingerbread Chai or Peppermint Mocha comes the fan-favorite Red Cup Day.
Starbucks unveils new holiday Red Cup design
Red Cup Day returns Thursday, Nov. 13, an annual Starbucks holiday tradition for customers who purchase a handcrafted holiday beverage to get a free limited-edition reusable red holiday cup.
The grande, 16-ounce cup, is made with 95 percent recycled material features an illustration of the front of a Starbucks coffeehouse, hand drawn by Starbucks designer Yvonne Chen.
"The design is inspired by the little moment of magic you feel when you step into a Starbucks from the cold outside," Chan said in a statement. "With the hand-drawn sketch, I tried to capture the feeling of something crafted by one person for another."
Starbucks confirmed it will give away more cups than previous seasons and has added more baristas in cafés to welcome customers and help with the seasonal experience.
Starbucks announces holiday menu
Last month, the Seattle-based coffee giant announced its holiday menu would return Nov. 6 with the return of festive beverages like the Caramel Brulée Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte and the aforementioned Iced Gingerbread Chai.
Also back this season, are the Chestnut Praline Latte and fan-favorite Eggnog Latte.
In addition to the holiday beverages, the bakery case is nearly holiday-ready as well, with returning customer-favorites like the Cranberry Bliss Bar, Snowman Cookie and Sugar Plum Cheese Danish.
Newcomers to the case this season include a Polar Bear Cake Pop, as well as Cinnamon Pull-apart Bread.
This story was originally published Oct. 6, 2025.
