Being the best man at your friend or relative’s wedding is a huge privilege, and doubtless you’re feeling proud and chuffed that they’ve asked you to support them. After a while though, it’s probably beginning to sink in that you have a lot of responsibilities, not least of which is organising the stag do.
With your reputation on the line, you’ll want to plan something that the groom and his mates will remember as one of the best nights (or weekends) of their life.
To help you, we’ve put together a list of stag party ideas that are sure to impress the groom and his bosom buddies. Whether you’re planning a weekend away, a party in your local pub or something sportier, we’ve got you covered.
So, let’s start planning!
Fun Casino Night
Ok, so you might be thinking that this is not the best idea, lest the groom, in a moment of alcohol-induced euphoria, is tempted to gamble away the contents of his new joint account. However, with a fun casino, you can enjoy all the glitz and glamour of the Vegas Strip, including full size gaming tables and professional croupiers, without any of the risks as ‘fun money’ is supplied. www.fun.casino operate across the UK mainland and in Northern Ireland and bring the casino to your venue. No licence is needed as no gambling takes place.
Day at the races
Not your traditional stag do, but great fun nevertheless. A day at the races offers the opportunity for the stags to dress up, enjoy some drinks, place a bet or two and potentially win some cash amid a brilliant atmosphere. And, if you’re based in Ireland, there are no less than 26 racecourses and 360 race meetings a year to choose from.
Guinness tasting and tour
If a weekend in Dublin is on the cards, consider visiting the Guinness Storehouse. Stags can pull their own pint at the Guinness Academy, sample Ireland’s most iconic beer and enjoy three hundred-and-sixty-degree views across Dublin from the Gravity Bar. There’s also a restaurant with an open kitchen where you can watch your food being prepared.
Caricature artist
Hiring a caricature artist is not a cheap option, but it will deliver fabulous entertainment
and provide the groom and his mates with a unique memento of the stag do. Dependent on where you’re holding the celebration, a professional caricaturist will often be happy to display digital caricatures on a large screen, as well as emailing them to individuals on the spot. Artists will usually offer digital or pen and paper drawings according to your preference. And, if you’re based in Ireland, you can book a caricaturist directly through our web site: https://partywizz.com/search/private-parties
Stag Party Activities
Laser tag
If you’re looking for something a little different, you might want to consider laser tag. There’s great fun to be had ‘shooting’ the groom and stags to set their vibrating vests off, alerting them to the fact that they’ve been hit. As it’s a game of tactics rather than brawn, the stags don’t need to be super fit, making this a good choice if the groom’s dad or other older relatives are attending.
Other ideas:
- Paintball
- Bubble football
- Assault course
- Zip wire
- Archery
- Go karting
- White water rafting.
Medieval banquet
A great idea for food and entertainment in one. There are several venues across the UK and Ireland that host such banquets. While the entertainment varies from place to place, you can expect serving wenches, jesters, medieval music and storytelling, often with optional fancy dress provided. A photo booth and props are usually available too, ensuring you’ll have some great memories to look back on.
Dress the groom and/or stags
The groom should always stand out from the crowd, so provide him with something to appropriately embarrassing to wear:
- A high vis waistcoat with ‘stag’ written on the back – this is a great idea if you’re headed for a laser tag or paintball session as it makes him an easy target for the stags.
- A pipe, slippers and a dressing gown to signify his new status as man of the house.
- A slogan tee shirt proclaiming he’s ‘unavailable, soon to be married’, ‘under new management’, or something similar.
- Announce that the evening’s dress code is ‘charity shop’ with a maximum spend of £10. Draw the names from a hat and ensure no one picks their own name. The stags must then buy an outfit for the person whose name they have drawn.
- Decide on a theme and wear fancy dress but bear in mind that some venues may refuse access if they deem the costumes offensive.
Drinking games
It’s essential to drink responsibly; you can check out the HSE website for any specific questions. That being said, there are great games to be played with alcohol.
Mr and Mrs
Often played at hen parties but works equally well at stag dos. Before the party, ask the groom’s significant other a set of questions and keep the answers safe.
How to play:
- Put the groom to the test by asking him the same questions.
- For every incorrect answer he gives, there’s a penalty in the form of a shot.
- If the groom answers correctly, the stags must drink a shot each instead.
Tipsy tower
Giant Jenga is great fun, but it gets even better when alcohol and forfeits are involved! You can purchase ready-made forfeit Jenga sets, but it’s much more fun to customise blank blocks.
How to play:
- Play in the usual way by taking turns to pull blocks out and place them on the top of the tower.
- Before placing the block back on top, the player/s must complete the task written on the piece they selected.
- If a player knocks the tower over, they must finish their drink.
While some of the blocks can have alcohol related forfeits (eg everyone wearing glasses must take a drink, youngest stag takes a drink etc) it’s best to mix them with plenty of non-alcohol related tasks too.
Beer pong
A classic drinking game for two teams.
How to play:
- Split the stags into two teams.
- Arrange plastic cups in a pyramid shape at both ends of a long table and quarter fill them with a beer of your choice.
- Flip a coin to decide which team goes first.
- Team members take turns throwing the ball at the opposite team’s cups.
- When the ball lands in the opposing team’s cup, one member of that team must drink the cup’s contents and remove it from the pyramid.
- The first team to remove all their cups are the losers.
Pub trivia
The best man takes on the role of quizmaster, while the stags divide themselves into two equal teams. Make sure the questions aren’t too easy as you’ll want each player to have two or three turns at answering – a process which gets steadily more difficult depending on the number of drinks a player has had between turns.
Requirements:
Board game quiz cards
Bell, buzzer or whistle etc (provide a different noise maker for each team)
How to play:
- Give each team member a number (the same for both teams)
- The best man calls both number ones forward and asks them a question from a quiz card
- The two players must compete to sound their buzzer/ blow their whistle first to be allowed to answer.
- Players must answer without any help from their teammates.
- The player who answers correctly is safe, but the other player must drink two fingers of beer.
- Keep playing with the number twos and so on.
- The first team to achieve ten correct answers is declared the winner.
That’s a wrap
Whatever you’re hoping to do for the stag party, we hope this article has helped and inspired you to plan an awesome celebration that the groom and his mates will remember for years to come.
Finally, don’t forget that it falls to the best man to ensure the groom turns up on time, and in one piece, on his wedding day! For which reason, it’s a good idea to hold the stag do at least a week before the wedding weekend.
At PartyWizz, we specialise in providing entertainers and suppliers such as magicians, photographers, videographers, musicians and more. We pride ourselves in only working with the best in the business.
