Stag do games and bachelor party games everyone can play

Stag do, bachelor party or bucks party, the job is the same: get a group of people who may not all know each other laughing together, and make the groom feel celebrated. These games are chosen for that.

Before the night: a few ground rules

• Any drink, or none. Every game should work with a soft drink. Forfeits should never be "down your pint".
• The groom is celebrated, not humiliated. Light teasing is fine. Anything he would hate is not.
• Strangers are not props. Do not build games around bothering bar staff or the public.
• Everyone can pass. Give every player one free pass, no questions asked.

Games about the groom

1. The partner quiz

Before the stag do, send the groom's partner 15 to 20 questions about him and about them as a couple. On the night, ask the groom the same questions in front of everyone and compare answers. Points for every match. Keep the questions kind: first date, his worst habit, who said "I love you" first.

2. The groom quiz

A pub-style quiz in rounds, all about the groom: the basics, his history, and a round on the couple. Split into teams. The groom can act as quizmaster, which also stops him being the target all night.

3. Two truths and a lie, groom edition

Each player writes two true facts about the groom and one made-up one. Read them out and the group votes on the lie. A good way for people from different parts of his life to share stories.

4. Guess the year

Collect old photos of the groom from family and friends beforehand. Show them one at a time, and teams guess the year. Closest guess wins the point. The haircuts do the rest.

Games that run all night

5. Stag bingo

Make bingo cards of things that tend to happen on a stag do: someone gets lost, someone orders the wrong drink, the groom tells the story about his first car. Players mark them off as they happen. Nobody is allowed to make them happen on purpose.

6. Nicknames for the night

Everyone gets a nickname at the start. Real names are banned until the last stop. Anyone who slips takes a small, harmless forfeit or loses a point for their team.

7. Secret missions

Give each player a sealed card with a small mission: get the groom to say a certain word, start a toast, get the whole group in one photo. Missions stay within the group. Reveal and score them at the end.

8. Challenge cards

A deck of light challenges, from "do your best impression of the groom" to "tell the group how you met him". Make sure every card has a buy-out, such as buying the next round of crisps, so nobody is forced into anything.

Quick fillers for quiet moments

9. Most likely to

Read out a prompt, such as "most likely to miss the train home", and on three everyone points at someone. Fast, funny and needs nothing. Works brilliantly at the airport or on the train.

10. Would the groom rather

Ask "Would he rather..." questions and the group guesses before the groom answers. Good for getting people who do not know him well to learn something.

11. The photo hunt

Give teams a list of photos to take during the day: the whole team in a phone box, someone pretending to be a statue, the best view in town. Most points by the last stop wins.

The finale

12. Stag awards

End the night with awards: most dedicated to the theme, best story about the groom, most likely to be asleep first. Finish with an award for the groom himself and a short toast from the best man. It gives the night a proper ending and plenty of material for the speech.

Putting it together: a simple running order

1. Arrival: hand out nicknames, bingo cards and secret missions. Read out the ground rules.
2. First stop: the partner quiz while everyone is fresh.
3. Middle of the night: the groom quiz in teams, with challenge cards in between.
4. Quiet moments: most likely to, would the groom rather.
5. Last stop: reveal the missions, check bingo, award the prizes and toast the groom.

Daytime or weekend away? Run the photo hunt during the day and save the quizzes for dinner. Low-key night at home? The quizzes, two truths and a lie, guess the year and the awards all work round a table.

Collect stories for the speech

A stag do is the best chance you will get to gather material for the wedding speech. Ask everyone to write down one story about the groom during the night. See how to write a best man speech for what to do with them, and the best man duties checklist for organising the stag do itself.