What does happen at an English bachelor party?

On a recent visit to England I was asked the question, “what is the difference between an English stag party, and an American bachelor party?”

The thing was that I did not know the answer to that question and so I decided to do some investigating whilst in England, before returning home.

It turns out that there are quite a few differences in fact and I was surprised just how much more liquor is involved in the English version compared to the American one. Now the Brits like a drink and with their more relaxed liquor laws they take full advantage of it. Now the UK stag do normally takes place about a week before the wedding ceremony although it can even take place the night before the wedding!

It usually began with the obligatory “pub crawl” this is where the groom, the best man and the rest of the group visit as many bars as possible whilst obtaining different levels of inebriation, before more often than not ending the evening a strip club. However, more and more stag dos are being taken in foreign countries and many British men head to destinations across Europe (with Eastern Europe being popular due to its very cheap beer) or they organize activity weekends. This is similar to the American tradition of organizing a road trip to another city for their bachelor party.

Alcohol is still the main ingredient of any good stag do and it is not just the fine British ale that you might associate with England, but shots and yes even cocktails are consumed in ever growing numbers and sometimes at the same time. The final part of the evening is concerned with trying to film the groom in a compromising or embarrassing situation, and this usually involves stripping him naked and tying him to a lamppost.