Bachelor Party Ideas: The Best Stag Do Ideas for the Groom

A bachelor party for the lads: what do you do, where do you go and what does it cost? Here are our best bachelor party ideas – from paintball in the afternoon and a pub crawl at night to a stag weekend in Hamburg, Prague or Budapest. You will also find plenty of planning help along the way.

Summary

• Skip the standard package – do something brilliant that you would never do on a normal weekend.
• Build surprises into the activities, plus a few gags and funny dares.
• Throw a party nobody forgets, at home, in a club or anywhere else.

How to plan the stag do

Are you the best man and the one stuck with the planning? Then there are a few urgent questions to answer first, listed below. You will find answers and help in our FAQ 😉

1. Who should be invited?
2. When is the best time to celebrate?
3. Where will you celebrate?
4. What do you want to do?

Once these basics are sorted, you can get on with the details. Here is some inspiration.

Start the bachelor party with a surprise!

1. Surprise: Traditionally, the groom is caught off guard. He should know nothing – better still, suspect nothing. Bring his future wife in on the plan. She can, for example, invent a weekend at her parents’ place.
2. Kidnapping: When the day comes, check in with the bride-to-be once more. When he pops out to the shops, for example, you pull up in a car (screeching tyres and balaclavas optional – best not, or the police might turn up 😉) and bundle him into the back.
3. Keep him guessing: By now the groom will have worked out that this is his stag do… But you can still keep him in the dark about where you are going and what you have planned!

Where: cities & places to celebrate

It depends on what you actually want. Our view: anything goes, nothing is compulsory. As we see it, you have three basic options for a bachelor party:

Our city guides do the research for you: checked bars, clubs and activities on one map, cost per person and ready-made routes. Classics for a group of lads are Hamburg with the Reeperbahn and no closing time, Cologne with its traditional beer halls, and Berlin. Abroad, groups head for the Czech Republic, Poland or Amsterdam. Read up on the local rules first – Prague, for instance, bans organised night-time pub crawls run by agencies, and drinking in the street is off limits on Mallorca’s Ballermann strip.

What: stag do activities for the afternoon

The media would have you believe a man simply “has to” visit a strip club and ride around in a stretch limo – forget that! The bachelor party among you and your best mates is your thing, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Do exactly what you fancy.

There are, of course, a few afternoon activities that are more popular with men than with women, and we rate some of them highly. Our top 10 are the following – and you can combine them, too.

1. Paintball: Always works and brings plenty of action and fun to a group of lads. Perfect for the afternoon!
2. Barbecue: Never fails! A few sausages and beers with your best mates always sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?
3. Go-karting: Race a few laps and find out who is the fastest driver in the group.
4. Funfair or beer festival: Is there a funfair or local festival nearby? Perfect for your stag do!
5. Brewery: How about a brewery tour with a good beer and something to eat?
6. Scavenger hunt: Solve clues to follow a trail and track down the other team.
7. Day at the lake: Is there a lake, a river or the sea nearby? Go for a bike ride and pack some beer and snacks.
8. Escape room: A good option when it rains. Tension and solving puzzles together make a great afternoon.
9. Motorised fun: Why not try quad bikes, a tank or a sports car?
10. Stag do games: Whether it’s a vendor tray of goodies to sell to strangers or a list of funny dares, games are still a favourite on a bachelor party.

We have loads more ideas for your stag do activities: click here for all our bachelor party activity ideas

How to choose your activities

When planning the day, we recommend going about it like this:

1. Get an overview: What is on offer, how much does it cost, and is the activity even available where you want to celebrate?
2. Brainstorm your own ideas: Talk it through with the “planning committee”. What is the budget per person? How many people can take part? You may well come up with better ideas than us or any other stag do website ;-).
3. Does it suit you?: The bachelor party has to be fun for you, so think carefully about whether the activity suits the group and the groom.
4. Book the activity: Once you are sure what you want to do, contact the provider and book. That way there are no nasty surprises on the day.
5. Guest list: Bouncers are not always cooperative – especially with a group of tipsy lads 😉. Check in advance whether a stag group is welcome. Tip: ask about stag do outfits as well, as they are often frowned upon.

Party: the bachelor party night out

A proper boozy party is a must on any bachelor party. But what should it look like? Bar hopping, a club, or a quieter evening with familiar faces? Here are your options.

Option 1: House party

The best man is in charge of the stag do and that includes the party. Think about the basics of a good house party – these points matter most:

• Music: Ideally put together 2-3 playlists for different moods (fun, party, singalong).
• Drinks: Better not run out ;-). Buy too much rather than too little, and don’t forget the ice!
• Snacks: Crisps, pizza and the like are fine, or fire up the barbecue.
• Entertainment: Do you want to play some games? Or video games? Or look at embarrassing photos? Either way, plan some decent entertainment.
• Neighbours: Warn your neighbours beforehand, so the police don’t knock on the door at 2 am.
• Stripper: Fancy a bit of bare skin? Then pick a dancer in advance and agree on the timing.

Option 2: Pub crawl

Working your way through the pubs with your best mates – we are jealous ❤️! Not much can go wrong here:

• Simply pick your favourite pubs.
• If you are celebrating in another city, look for traditional pubs (all within easy walking distance of each other).
• Have a quick word with the landlords to check it is fine to turn up with a stag group.

Option 3: Clubbing

More in the mood for a smart night out in clubs? That is quick to plan too:

• Choose your favourite clubs and book a table straight away (so you don’t get stuck at the door).
• Before that, go out for a good meal and enjoy a few cocktails or beers.

Strip club: a must for the lads!?

On a bachelor party you have to go to a strip club, right? Nothing is compulsory, but most stag groups do end up in a table dance bar towards the end of the night…

• If you know the groom would like to see a bit of bare skin one last time, you can club together and treat him to a private show. With a so-called “private dance”, a dancer devotes her full attention to the groom…
• But not everyone is into that. Think about what the groom is like and whether he would feel comfortable in a strip club or not.
• Tip: It doesn’t always have to be a strip club. You can also book a stripper at home, or a show in the limo, at the hotel or anywhere else!

Fancy dress: funny T-shirts or not?

Would you like to celebrate in fancy dress or is it better to skip it? Opinions differ, so bear these points in mind:

• It doesn’t have to be an outrageous costume. Stag do T-shirts also make a nice souvenir and are good for a laugh.
• If you go out in costume, remember that you will be recognisable as a stag group. That is sometimes a problem, for example at certain activities or at the door of a club. So bring a change of clothes, just in case.
• Fancy dress is not compulsory. Plenty of stag dos go ahead without it, so don’t stress and simply put it to a vote.

Final tips

You have worked your way through all our suggestions and are a big step closer to your bachelor party! And one thing up front: your best mates are getting together and you are going to have a brilliant time – what could possibly go wrong?

Follow our final tips and the stag do can begin!

1. Photos: There are bound to be embarrassing moments, and those ABSOLUTELY have to be captured 😉. So take plenty of pictures and share them with each other afterwards.
2. Costs: A stag do is not exactly cheap: the activities, the party, getting there, accommodation and so on. Try to build in some cheaper elements: a barbecue instead of eating out, 2 activities in the afternoon instead of 3, plus a trip into the countryside. Everyone still has the expensive wedding to pay for… As a guide: a day with an activity and a night out usually comes to €100 to €200 per person, and a weekend with travel and accommodation quickly reaches €400 to €500 (konfetti, Pissup).
3. Plan B: Things never go quite as expected. It might be a downpour or a grumpy bouncer, so always have an alternative ready.
4. Don’t overdo it: Yes, you will have one too many, mess about and wind the groom up a bit. But the night should not end in a cell or in A&E, so know your limits. Ideally, one of you stays reasonably sober and keeps an eye on everyone.
5. What does the groom enjoy?: You are perfectly entitled to tease the groom and set him a few funny dares. But he should enjoy himself too. It would be a shame if he looked back on the day with bad memories, wouldn’t it?

Lads – have fun and enjoy your stag do!