Stag Do Ideas: Classy Plans for a Stag Do in London

The best stag do ideas combine one daytime activity, a long dinner and a proper night out, and London can do all three in style: clay shooting or a speedboat on the Thames by day, steak and a private table in the evening, then comedy, jazz or a casino. Keep the plan simple, book the anchors early and leave room for the evening to find its own shape.

This is our concierge’s take on a stag do in London that everyone, including the groom, will be glad to remember.

How to plan a stag do in London

• Agree the budget first. Ask everyone privately what they can spend and plan to the lowest comfortable figure. A great weekend nobody can afford isn’t a great weekend.
• Choose the date carefully. Spring and early summer weekends book up first, and the weeks before Christmas are busy everywhere. A weekend in January or late autumn is easier and often cheaper.
• Collect money early. Deposits for dinners and activities are often due weeks ahead. One organiser, one kitty, no awkward chasing on the night.
• Pick one anchor per day. An activity in the afternoon and a dinner in the evening is plenty. Over-planned stags fall apart by Saturday teatime.
• Be upfront with venues. Some bars and restaurants won’t take stag groups, and it’s better to know when you book than at the door.
• Think about the groom. Build the weekend around what he enjoys, not what the loudest usher wants.
• Sort the transport. For trips out of town, such as clay shooting, a hired minibus with a driver is simpler than trains and saves anyone from drawing the short straw.
• Share one plan. Send everyone a single message with times, addresses, dress code and the organiser’s number, and resend it on the morning.

Daytime stag do ideas

Clay shooting. E.J. Churchill Shooting Ground, on the West Wycombe Estate in Buckinghamshire, is about 34 miles from central London and one of the best-regarded grounds in the country, with more than a hundred sporting stands set in woodland. A morning’s instructed shooting followed by lunch is a classic for good reason, and it suits complete beginners.

A speedboat on the Thames. Thames Rockets runs fast boat trips from the London Eye, past St Paul’s and HMS Belfast, in about 50 minutes. It’s fast and great fun, and you’re back on dry land in time for a late lunch.

Darts and games. Flight Club turned darts into a social game with automatic scoring, and has London venues in Shoreditch and Bloomsbury. Swingers West End, just off Oxford Circus, does crazy golf with cocktails delivered to the course. Both work well for groups of mixed ability, as nobody needs to be any good.

A cocktail class. Many of London’s better bars run cocktail masterclasses for groups, where a bartender teaches you a handful of classics and you drink your homework. Ask at bars you like; our guides to speakeasy bars and rooftop bars in London are a good place to start.

Dinner: the centrepiece of a stag do in London

Dinner is the part people remember, so book it first. A private dining room is worth the deposit for a group: you can make speeches, nobody at the next table minds, and service is easier. Hawksmoor Seven Dials, in a former brewery off Seven Dials, is a natural choice for steak, with a big room and a serious bar. For something grander, our guide to Michelin-star restaurants in London includes places with private rooms.

Set menus make the bill simpler, and a fixed drinks budget agreed with the restaurant avoids an unpleasant surprise at the end.

Evening entertainment

Comedy. The Comedy Store on Oxendon Street, just off Piccadilly Circus, has been running since 1979 and is still one of the best-known comedy clubs in the country. Book a table together and sit well back if the groom would rather not become the material.

Jazz. Ronnie Scott’s on Frith Street in Soho makes a more grown-up alternative, with dinner and drinks at the table while you listen.

A casino night. The Hippodrome Casino on Leicester Square has gaming tables, a cabaret theatre, a restaurant and bars under one roof, so the group can split up and find each other again. Everyone will need photo ID to get in. Our guide to casinos and members’ clubs in London covers entry and etiquette, and the same rule applies to every gambler in the group: set a budget and stick to it.

For more after-dark ideas, see things to do in London at night.

Where to stay

For a group, it helps to stay together and centrally, so nobody has a long trip home at two in the morning. Hotels in Covent Garden, Soho and the West End put most of the ideas above within walking distance. Serviced apartments can work out well for larger groups who’d like somewhere to gather before going out, but read the terms carefully: many don’t allow parties, and some won’t take stag bookings at all. Whatever you book, tell the hotel you’re a group, check the rules on visitors and noise, and give the reception a contact number for the organiser.

Low-key ideas for a smaller group

Not every groom wants a big production. A long Sunday lunch in a historic pub, a walk between a few of the City’s oldest taverns, a sporting fixture watched together, or a whisky tasting in a good bar can be just as memorable. For a very small group, a really good dinner and a night of jazz may be the whole weekend, and none the worse for it.

Keeping it classy

The difference between a stag weekend people talk about fondly and one they’d rather forget usually comes down to a few things:

• Agree a dress code for the main evening. A jacket opens doors in London that trainers do not.
• Pace the drinking. Start the evening with food, not shots.
• Be good to the staff. Groups that tip well and behave get better tables and better service.
• Look after the groom. His job on Monday, and his wedding, both matter more than one more round.
• Have a plan for getting home, and make sure nobody walks back alone.

A sample London stag weekend

Friday: arrive, check in, drinks in a good bar and a relaxed dinner nearby. Saturday: clay shooting with lunch, back into town to change, a private dining room for dinner, then comedy or the casino. Sunday: a long breakfast, a walk along the South Bank and home. If you’re choosing where to stay, our guide to luxury hotels in London covers the best areas.

A single note, as people do ask: Indian Angels arranges private bookings for individuals only, never for groups or parties; our etiquette guide explains how they work, and the concierge is happy to answer questions.

A note from the concierge: venues change their menus, rooms, hours and house rules more often than guides can keep up with, so please check directly with the venue before you go.