Need some Stag do ideas!

So I have the great honour of being the best man at my mates wedding this year. So obviously looking to arrange a stag do for about 15 guys, probably a Friday evening to Sunday sort of thing. All of us are in our late 20s, early 30s and the groom (and I) and not big into clubs and he is very against strippers! Although we do enjoy a drink (about half the party will be Royal Navy...)!

I am aiming for 14th March and it will be in the UK somewhere. Has anyone been on any really enjoyable stag weekends and doesn't mind sharing what they did and the amusing stories!? Currently thinking of possibly Edinburgh (he is into whiskey and comedy) but also maybe Cornwall if we can get a big house and do our own thing. But open to any suggestions!

Private tour with 'tasting' session at a smaller quality brewery - in my experience they're more likely to be generous than the larger breweries with more formal ticketed tours.

White Water Rafting somewhere (Wales, perhaps), followed by lots of drinking?

Pretty sure you'll get the usual "Go to Vegas..." and "Coke and Hookers..." replies, though...

M

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Originally Posted by snowman

White Water Rafting somewhere (Wales, perhaps), followed by lots of drinking?

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I've been on quite a few but one of the best (I organised it), was exactly this. Stayed in Chester for two nights. Friday evening - Tepenyaki restaurant for night one which is ideal for a group as you all get to sit around one kitchen station and there's a bit of 'show' to the cooking and serving, followed by a couple of beers. Next day White Water Rafting somewhere close by, in Wales. We travelled by train so hired a mini-bus to the rafting place. Then back to Chester for another night out. Home Sunday.

I've been to a couple in the Lakes at Rookin House Farm with Paintballing, Clay shooting, off road driving ect. Which is always good too.

Been to one in Newcastle, at the dogs then out on the toon which is always a good night.

Went to an Edinburgh stag do, great City but it was just a two day piss-up. I think you need some day time activities otherwise everyone get smashed and can't remember much of the weekend.

partyhouses.co.uk
Have a look on their special offers pages for March. A lot of these type of places will also arrange daytime activities for you too.

Some of the better ones I’ve been on tend to be in Scotland but that’ll be a heck of a trek just to get there for you.

Any City centre. Anywhere.

Seriously, I could recommend about a dozen from my last few Stag do's, you just can't go wrong as long as you plan a bit in advance and don't just try to "wing it".

Start planning now, sketch out a very rough itinerary (you won't stick to it, but it's good to have a bit of structure) I'd go with with food, activity, beer, food, beer.

On my to-do list is Adventure Wales (based in South Wales), about 100 quid each and you get an overnighter with a couple of activities. I know loads of people who have been and done Quadding and Paintball (I missed that one!) and had a blast, with a cracking feed and some beers in the evening.

I've lost count of my Manchester escapades now, but just for example up here you've got;
The Crystal Maze experience (teams of 8 max though, you'd need to book back-to-back slots and split the group).
Junkyard crazy golf which is cheap and a top laugh (adults only - not crazy golf for kids) :devilish:
Whistle Punks axe throwing (they insist on you being sober, so I'd start with that rather than end the night there)...
The Arcade Club just across in Bury, 15 minutes in a cab from Manc centre. Biggest retro arcade in Europe and bloody great fun for 30-somethings, we booked the place for a couple of hours and it was a blast!

Brewdog bar - exceptional for unusual beers, you won't find better. There are loads in the UK, book early for a big group but they'll lay on tasting sessions etc.

FOOD! Bem Brasil, an all you can eat Meat-ery. God it's good. Leave the vegans at the salad bar though eh. :la:

Secret Bars - wherever you end up, check online for Secret bars or Hidden bars - pretty much every City centre has some, Manchester has a load! The Washhouse is an old Laundrette with a secret door leading back to a speak-easy, mental cocktails, well recommended. NQ64 is another arcade based bar in the Northern Quarter down a little back-alley. Dust 'til Pawn, another top choice, looks like a run down old Pawn shop outside but opens out into a cool lounge with imported beers and more mad cocktails. Some of these places you need to book beforehand, some you just turn up, but wherever you end up choosing I would recommend researching beforehand, it's pretty cool to know about places like that, especially leading a Stag do. :eagerness:


Have fun, don't wing-it, make sure you book in advance - Saturdays you won't just be walking into anywhere you want without a reservation.

Cheap Ryanair flight somewhere cheap, get drunk on cheap booze, stay at a cheap BnB, come home, get married, have kids, get divorced (optional), get old, die.


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Additional - i've just remembered Zorb Football!!! Do that. Then drink! :devilish::devilish::devilish:

Clay pigeon shooting will keep you sober and in the fresh air for a few hours before the inevitable

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Originally Posted by WolfiesPapa

Cheap Ryanair flight somewhere cheap, get drunk on cheap booze, stay at a cheap BnB, come home, get married, have kids, get divorced (optional), get old, die.

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You forgot the remarriage.

Good friend of mine was best man for the same groom twice. He started his second speech with 'Now, where was I?'

Bodyflight near Bradford, indoor skydiving, proper race car simulators & indoor surfing, plus a few other activities.
Stay in Milton Keynes and you can combine with a night out on the town and a couple of hours on the snow.

I think there's a place in Wiltshire somewhere that has digger racing.

Also worth tying in with a 6 nations weekend on the TV so you have something to watch in the pub.
Edinburgh pubs are good when the rugby is on.
Belfast and Dublin good for stags though Dublin is very expensive now.

A few memorable ones:
Cork, Ireland. Horse racing with sit down meal with night out in Cork. Fantastic place, loads of live music etc

Wales: white water rafting, quad biking, lots of activities and drinking

Scotland: Edinburgh, with clay pigeon shooting, quad bikes, white water rafting and horse racing at Musselbrough.

A very good memorable one for me (which I thought would be rubbish due to the location) was London.

Now this is 10 years ago - no activities - just get up and go from pub to pub. Stayed near borough market in premier inn. Cheap.

Out of hotel and down south bank stopping in different pubs (amazing how many pubs there are) or jump on tube elsewhere, beer in each pub, ending up in clapham one night and shoreditch other night. Got in everywhere. Plenty of food options for the crowd. Nice looking totty for those who are single/eye candy.

Only 1 black eye, but that can happen everywhere. :-)

To me stag dos are about the people in them / with the right people, they can be anywhere with nothing arranged - fun times. Good luck!


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I was best man for a pal in 2018. I arranged a weekend in Southwold - clay shooting at a nearby outdoor activities site followed by Gin making at Adnams brewery/distillery, an evening meal (plus quite a lot of beer) and then a tour around the Adnams brewery the next day with the post-tour tasting and... some more voluntary tasting.

The remit from the groom was “I don’t want to wake up tied to a lamp post” so I kept it relatively reserved and gentlemanly.


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If you are West Country way you could go to Bath Friday night....few beers and some grub. Arrange it so there is horse racing on the Saturday and do that followed by more beer and a meal.
You could also do that if you went to Edinburgh, or perhaps Liverpool....great night out and easy to get to Aintree. Mind you, Bath is easier to get to, more compact and that will give you more time to do things.

If you wanted to build up a thirst then paint balling is perfect (if not a bit pricey).

I know you said that the groom isn't into strip clubs and whathaveyou,but don't necessarily reject the idea of a comedy stripogram. Friend of mine had a stag in Dublin some years ago and the hotel staff recommended a girl in the Dublin yellow pages listed as Blubberwoman....she was great fun without it going too far.

Thanks very much for the suggestions so far chaps, much appreciated! I’m in a slightly unusual situation of being the best man but the only person I will know on the stag, is the stag...


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I've found the best ingredients for a cracking stag do are

1) A good bunch of lads

2)An element of competition to help break the ice and get the banter going

3)A good meal

4) Plenty of beer

Most of the Stags I've been on the first comes naturally but one I went on there was a right dick who inevitably took things too far and had to be calmed down.

There have been plenty of ideas for something competitive so I won't repeat them.

The food and the beer should be easy to sort out too.

You could throw in some challenges for the stag. At my brother in law's stag do we were each given a playing card with a challenge that we could present to the stag at any point during the day. They weren't too humiliating but still amusing for the rest of us. However the stag was given a joker which he could use to bounce back the challenge if he didn't like it. It worked so well I shamelessly copied it on two of the stag weekends I organised.

One thing to bear in mind is that there is likely to be quite a spread of incomes at the do. Try and a keep a reasonable budget per head in mind, it won't have to be dirt cheap but shouldn't have to be stupidly expensive. Price won't keep people away as they'll want to be there for their mate but it could affect their enjoyment of the weekend.

Good luck.

Tapatapatapatapatalk

My only suggestion would be whatever you do plan it and get food, beer and taxi money etc.. off everyone prior to the stag do, then you settle all the bills.

I was a little uneasy the first time I was asked to do it but without doubt all the stags I have been on that operated this way have been brilliant.

Cheers

Ross

Best one I’ve been on involved go-karting, if you can find a suitable venue it’s great.

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Originally Posted by walkerwek1958

Best one I’ve been on involved go-karting, if you can find a suitable venue it’s great.

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Agree with this 100%. Went go karting on my stag do, tremendous fun, my now brother in law was black flagged for dangerous driving! Then on to Nottingham city centre for beer and curry. Rumour has it that Nottingham has the highest ratio of females to males, funny that....

Bristol is a great place for a long weekend. Plenty to do and see and we now have our own whisky bar too https://www.blackrock.bar/bristol

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Definitely going to be using the playing card thing, thanks!

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Originally Posted by Wimm

I've found the best ingredients for a cracking stag do are

1) A good bunch of lads

2)An element of competition to help break the ice and get the banter going

3)A good meal

4) Plenty of beer

Most of the Stags I've been on the first comes naturally but one I went on there was a right dick who inevitably took things too far and had to be calmed down.

There have been plenty of ideas for something competitive so I won't repeat them.

The food and the beer should be easy to sort out too.

You could throw in some challenges for the stag. At my brother in law's stag do we were each given a playing card with a challenge that we could present to the stag at any point during the day. They weren't too humiliating but still amusing for the rest of us. However the stag was given a joker which he could use to bounce back the challenge if he didn't like it. It worked so well I shamelessly copied it on two of the stag weekends I organised.

One thing to bear in mind is that there is likely to be quite a spread of incomes at the do. Try and a keep a reasonable budget per head in mind, it won't have to be dirt cheap but shouldn't have to be stupidly expensive. Price won't keep people away as they'll want to be there for their mate but it could affect their enjoyment of the weekend.

Good luck.

Tapatapatapatapatalk

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Tricky if you don't know any of them!!

Having a kitty is good, I used monzo so wasn't carrying around cash and you get immediate transactions/balance on your phone (I'd have whatsapped "thanks Bob" to the group for funds in before their bank had even confirmed the transfer :eagerness:).

Heavy meals and long periods in one place can kill the energy, so try not to get stuck anywhere for too long. Also, it's more expensive if you're away from home, but then people are a bit more committed and engaged rather than wondering when they can bow out.

Best activities we've done on them have been archery tag (like dodgeball but with arrows), bubble football (shattering), stand up paddleboarding.

It's good keeping the stag guessing too - we started my brothers stag in London, then hopped on eurostar over to paris for France-England (Stade de France only has alcohol free beer?!), then curry, burlesque, couple of places throughout the night and 8am eurostar back home. We had an emergency Air BnB booked near Gare de Nord for anyone who peaked too soon but most made it all the way through and died on the train home.

I missed my stag do as I was ill. Best thing I ever did from all accounts of those who "carried on" without me!!!

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Originally Posted by WolfiesPapa

Cheap Ryanair flight somewhere cheap, get drunk on cheap booze, stay at a cheap BnB, come home, get married, have kids, get divorced (optional), get old, die.


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LOL. :)

Motor go-karting is always great fun with some mates.

Amsterdam. And get him on stage.

This is going to sound ridiculous but on a recent stag do I’m Prague we had ‘Ladies Night’ the entire stag party dressed as women and the stag was dressed as a frumpy old man.

I was absolutely dreading it as cross dressing is certainly not a bit of me.

In the end it was absolutely hilarious and the entire group got so much attention from women in all the bars and clubs!

We also got both his nipples pierced but that’s another story!


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Eastern Europe some place for tactical shooting experience

Did stags in Edinburgh & Liverpool, both were good. Main comment would be to go abroad.....drinks will be do much cheaper in Prague, and it is the place to go to. That weekend is also St Patrick’s if you fancy a spin to Ireland (and stay away from Dublin unless you like expensive mayhem).

Another good one I went to was in Gdańsk/Sopot Lovely small city with cheap beer, a nice brewery tour and shop at a range.