The Evolving Stag and Hen Industry

People still want a massive send off before they get married, they want to book something special with their friends and family and have a great time. But what they want to do, where they go and what’s involved is drastically changing with time.

Below are the biggest changes we have witnessed over the past few decades in the stag and hen industry.

Pranking No More

Firstly, we’re not insinuating that pranks don’t happen on stag and hen do’s, that would be ludicrous. For a start, we offer a stitch up life drawing activity which is hugely popular, involving the groom stripping off for his mates as they put pen to paper and draw up the main man.

But the intense pranks that used to be the staple of stag weekends in the 90’s and early 2000’s has calmed down somewhat. You don’t see people handcuffed to lamp posts or stripped naked in public. Well, not very often anyway.

Hen parties have certainly evolved, but they’ve always been a bit kinder in nature in comparison to stag weekends, there were always fewer pranks, meaning the bride isn’t constantly worried about what’s to come.

The Emergence of Alcohol Free

The stereotype that the media portrays of hen and stag weekends is a group of people drunkenly throwing up and trashing the place. The reality is that the vast majority are very civilised; involve playing some games or sharing some experiences with family and friends, before a few drinks in the evening.

But the growth of alcohol free options and people moving towards sobriety has changed what people request for their stag weekend. Many people request mocktails with cocktail making, or ask for daytime activities that avoid booze.

We predict this will increase with time, as the generation of 18-25’s are drinking far less than the generations before, while the majority of stag and hen do’s are for people between 25-40, therefore this will impact the drink industry over the next decade.

If you were to book a Bournemouth hen do 10 years ago, you’d most likely try a male strip show, a nightclub package and VIP access to some bars. Whereas nowadays, you may instead want to book a dance class or a lip sync battle, both of which are hugely popular in this coastal city.

The Break Of The Traditional Stag Activities

Paintballing is as popular as ever, while go karting is the most heavily booked activity in the UK. Some things will never change. But bubble football has had its time in the sun, seeing bookings for the activity drop by 80% compared to 10 years ago. Just the same, assault courses are down 65% over the past decade.

On top of this, lap dance entries for stag weekends are down 51% over the past decade, a significant sign of a move away from the traditional aspects of the lads weekend away.

So what are people booking? Well, on a Glasgow stag do, the most booked activity is a guided bar crawl. There are so many beautiful things to see and do in Glasgow, from the Kelvingrove Art Gallery to the Necropolis, for people who are travelling to Glasgow, the tourist attractions are more of an aspect than 10 years ago.

Whisky tasting is inevitably popular here, considering it’s the home of Scotch whisky, some of the most popular in the world.

We’re also seeing a growth in activity bars, where people can combine the start of the drinks with the daytime activity. We’ve seen bars add augmented reality darts, bowling alleys, shuffleboards and even cricket pitches. This is certainly a way for the hospitality industry to evolve and ensure they can keep people coming in while charging so much for a pint.

Anti-Tourism In Spain

The protests in Spain against tourism has gathered media attention and has managed to work in putting people off booking their trips to some of the traditional destinations.

While Benidorm remains hugely popular, the protests in Tenerife have seen the destination drop in bookings, as has been the case in Magaluf.

The protests were relatively calm last year, being predominantly a couple of people squirting water pistols at tourists in restaurants. But they’ve certainly stepped up this year and taken a more hostile approach.

On the back of this, we have seen UK stag and hen bookings surge with people looking to stay in the UK instead of going abroad.