Stag Do Ideas: Stylish Plans for a London Stag Weekend

Great stag do ideas usually come down to three things: one activity in the daytime, a long dinner and a good night out, and London does all three well. Try clay shooting or a Thames speedboat by day, steak at a private table come evening, and after that comedy, jazz or a casino. Don’t overcomplicate things, lock in the main bookings early and let the night unfold from there.

Here is our concierge’s view of a London stag do that everyone, the groom included, will be happy to look back on.

Planning a London stag do

• Settle the budget before anything else. Ask each person quietly what they can afford, and plan around the lowest figure people are comfortable with. A brilliant weekend that half the group can’t pay for is not brilliant.
• Pick the date with care. Weekends in spring and early summer go first, and the run-up to Christmas is busy across the city. January or late autumn is simpler and frequently cheaper.
• Gather the money in good time. Restaurants and activities often want deposits weeks in advance. Have one organiser and one kitty, so nobody is chasing anyone on the night.
• One main event a day. An afternoon activity and an evening dinner are enough. Stags with too much planned tend to unravel by Saturday teatime.
• Be honest with venues. Some bars and restaurants refuse stag groups, and you’d rather find out when booking than on the doorstep.
• Put the groom first. Shape the weekend around his tastes, not those of the noisiest usher.
• Arrange transport. For anything outside London, like clay shooting, a minibus with a driver beats the train and means nobody gets stuck behind the wheel.
• Send one plan. Give everyone one message listing times, addresses, the dress code and the organiser’s phone number, then send it again that morning.

Ideas for the daytime

Clays. You’ll find E.J. Churchill Shooting Ground in Buckinghamshire, on the West Wycombe Estate, roughly 34 miles from central London, and is among the most highly rated grounds in the country, with over a hundred sporting stands among the trees. An instructed morning’s shooting and then lunch is a favourite for good reason, and complete novices are fine.

A Thames speedboat. Thames Rockets runs high-speed trips from the London Eye, taking in St Paul’s and HMS Belfast in roughly 50 minutes. It’s quick and hugely enjoyable, and you’re back ashore by a late lunch.

Games and darts. Flight Club made darts sociable with automatic scoring and has London sites in Bloomsbury and Shoreditch. Over at Swingers West End, a step from Oxford Circus, there’s crazy golf with cocktails brought to you on the course. Both suit groups of mixed skill, since nobody has to be good.

A cocktail class. Lots of London’s best bars host group masterclasses, where a bartender shows you a few classics and you get to drink what you’ve made. Ask at bars you already enjoy; our guides to London speakeasies and rooftop bars across London make a good starting point.

Dinner, the heart of a London stag do

Dinner is what everyone remembers, so reserve it before anything else. For a group, a private room earns its deposit: speeches are easy, no neighbouring table is disturbed and service runs more smoothly. Hawksmoor Seven Dials, set in an old brewery near Seven Dials, is an obvious pick for steak, with a large dining room and a serious bar. For somewhere grander, our guide to London’s Michelin-star restaurants lists places with private rooms.

A set menu keeps the bill tidy, and agreeing a fixed drinks spend with the restaurant spares you a nasty shock when it arrives.

After dark

Comedy. The Comedy Store, close to Piccadilly Circus on Oxendon Street, opened in 1979 and remains among Britain’s best-known comedy clubs. Book a table for the whole group, and sit towards the back if the groom would prefer not to be part of the act.

Jazz. For something more grown-up, Ronnie Scott’s, in Soho’s Frith Street, serves dinner and drinks at your table while the band plays.

A casino night. At the Hippodrome Casino on Leicester Square you’ll find a restaurant, a cabaret theatre, gaming tables and several bars in one building, so the group can drift apart and meet up again. Each person needs photo ID to enter. Our guide to London casinos and members’ clubs explains entry and etiquette, and one rule holds for everyone who plays: decide a budget and keep to it.

For more ideas after dark, see our guide to London at night.

Where to stay

Groups do best staying together in a central spot, so nobody faces a long journey back at 2am. Hotels in Soho, Covent Garden and the West End keep most of these ideas within walking distance. For bigger groups wanting a base to meet before heading out, serviced apartments can be good value, but check the small print: many ban parties and some refuse stag bookings outright. Wherever you stay, let the hotel know you’re a group, ask about their rules on guests and noise, and leave the organiser’s number with reception.

Quieter ideas for a small group

Some grooms would rather skip the big show. A lazy Sunday lunch at a historic pub, a stroll around a handful of the City’s oldest taverns, watching a match as a group or tasting whiskies at a fine bar can all be just as memorable. With only a few of you, an excellent dinner followed by jazz may be the entire weekend, and it will be none the worse for that.

Keeping it classy

Whether a stag weekend is recalled with affection or quietly forgotten tends to depend on a handful of things:

• Set a dress code for the big night. In London a jacket gets you into places trainers won’t.
• Keep the drinking steady. Begin with dinner, not shots.
• Treat the staff well. Groups who behave and tip properly are rewarded with better tables and service.
• Take care of the groom. His Monday at work, and his wedding, count for more than another round.
• Know how you’re getting back, and don’t let anyone walk home on his own.

An example London stag weekend

Friday: arrive and check in, then drinks at a good bar and an easy dinner close by. Saturday: clay shooting and lunch, back to town to get changed, dinner in a private room, with comedy or the casino to finish. Sunday: breakfast at leisure, a stroll along the South Bank, and the journey home. To pick a base, our guide to London’s luxury hotels runs through the best areas.

One point, since the question does come up: Pleasure of London only arranges private bookings for one person at a time, never for groups or parties. Our guide to etiquette explains how bookings work, and the concierge team will gladly answer any questions.

From the concierge: menus, rooms, opening times and house rules change at venues faster than any guide can keep up, so do check with the venue itself before you set off.