Looking at the statistics we find a clear winner with clay pigeon shooting. Not far behind comes paintball and then go karting. Let’s broaden that out and look at the top ten things to do on a stag party weekend.

Clay pigeon shooting ticks so many boxes for a stag event and not least is the opportunity to chat to mates you may not have seen in a while as you wait for your turn at the shooting stands. Then there is the competition it engenders as coming out as top gun of the day is what everyone aims for after their first shot. Instantly you want to repeat the experience and suddenly it is game on and you want to down more clays than your mates and take the prize. Holding a gun, a bloody big gun, in your hands that can smash clays into a myriad of pieces when your shot is on target is an awesome experience. It all adds up to an ideal blokey activity and so it’s not surprising that clay pigeon shooting tops our chart.

Clay shooting and paintball have topped the charts for stag parties for a while

So, we have number two in the popularity stakes – paintballing. Delivering the fun of a battle and the challenge of pitting your wits and stamina against the odds and your mates. Game scenarios are varied from the simple ‘last one standing’ to ‘capture the flag’ and many more. Paintball sites also make it an even more entertaining experience for stag groups by including a stag hunt. More often than not, the purpose of a stag hunt is to embarrass the stag as much as possible – well isn’t that a major objective for most stag weekends? The poor bloke gets a special, very visible, outfit to wear and then is sent out like some hapless quarry to be tracked down and shot to pieces by his mates. So, when the best man lists paintball as a stag party activity for the weekend, enthusiasm to take part goes up a notch.

Is go karting a good activity choice for stag weekends?

Go karting, sometimes spelt carting is a solid third contender on the chart of things to do on a stag party weekend. Karting is in fact the most popular motor sport in the UK and Ireland and has consistently held that position for many years. It has all the components for that all-important adrenaline rush – speed, competition and challenge. This is a winning combination and an easy sell for the stag party organiser. After a few laps of racing around a go kart track that can vary from easy to incredibly challenging, most drivers get out of their small but powerful go kart feeling like a real racing driver. It started out like a bit of fun, but suddenly you and your mates have eyes on the winner’s podium and every lap counts. Then there’s the roar of engines on the start line, the smell of burning rubber as the karts squeal round the hairpin bends and the cheering as your team takes the lead. The chequered flag drops and it’s now time for the prizes and the stories of your motoring exploits.

Quad biking is number four for stag parties

Quad bikes are big, powerful and take a bit of handling on rough terrain. Strength in the thighs is what you need as you grip this powerful monster between your legs as you tear across fields, through woods, muddy puddles and even over boulders. But, it also depends on which activity package you choose. The choices are from gentle cross-country rambles right through to lengthy and tough quad treks that offer a real challenge to the best quad bikers out there. Every venue offers full instructions, safety gear and an experienced rider that will accompany your stag party.

Indoor vs outdoor paintballing for stag groups

The numbers tell us that indoor paintballing is not usually what a stag party organiser will choose as a first option over outdoor paintballing. But, in the UK and Ireland the weather is always a factor and if the best man is organising a stag party in the winter or when bad weather is predicted, indoor paintballing a safer choice from an event organiser’s point of view. In addition, indoor paintball operators ensure that their paintball packages lack nothing on the excitement, challenge and competition front. You’ll also need speed and agility as you plan your every move as you duck and dive and take cover behind the many and varied refuge points in an indoor paintball arena. If you do choose indoor paintball make sure you check out the type of games they set for a stag group. Then on the day, when the rain is hammering down outside and wind is howling spare a thought for those that opted for outdoor paintball.

Combat archery ranks at number six for stag parties

Combat, or battle archery, is what the name suggests. Instead of shooting targets, you shoot at each other. Now, before you imagine your mates with arrows buried in the bodies or limbs, the arrows are tipped with a large foam tip, which looks a bit like a large marshmallow. The bow fire capability is also reduced to a low maximum of 30lbs of draw weight. This activity is described as a combination of dodgeball, paintball and archery. We would say that it’s a grown-up version of nerf wars.

In teams of five, combat archery begins with a number of arrows in the centre of the arena. At the whistle, players race to collect them, before firing them at one another across a field or indoor arena. A player is eliminated if struck by an arrow, but can be brought back into play by one of his team catching an arrow.

Off-road karting vs Karting for a stag party?

Off road karting, as the name suggests, takes place off-road and an off road kart also looks a lot different from an indoor kart. The main differences to the traditional racing indoor go-karts are the bigger size tyres giving greater ground clearance and off road traction together with a safety roll cage.

The courses vary with large fields marked out with obstacles being the most popular. Then there is off road treks that take you through varied terrain of natural obstacles and this type of course usually offers the biggest challenges and the need for a bit more stamina. Also called off road buggies dune buggies, honda pilots mud karts, dirt buggies or grass karts, they all feature powerful engines, usually a V8, so you can expect some high speeds and a thrilling adrenaline pumping activity experience with all the wheel action of off road rallying.

Off rd karting is not for the faint hearted or anyone that doesn’t like getting muddy because believe us mud, dust and grass will fly.

Airsoft is eight on the best man’s list

Number eight on our top ten list is airsoft and it is definitely not for softies. Game play is similar to paintball, but with military simulation where players participate in mock combat with authentic military-style weapons and tactics. The guns used are full-scale replicas of real weapons, usually powered by gas or batteries, which shoot plastic pellets at one hundred metres a second. Mock battles are staged and various challenges, which range from short-term skirmishes, organised scenarios, close quarter’s battle and military simulations.

Airsoft, again like paintball, includes full safety briefings and the supply of combat clothes and facemasks. It can be played outside, inside or in urban environment mock-ups.

Will you choose bubble football for your last day of freedom?

Bubble football or Bubble Soccer; is relatively new on the action sports’ scene. Basically you are half-encased inside an inflated zorb, roughly from your head to the top of your legs and then you try and play regular football. Typically played in large indoor spaces or outdoor fields, bubble football is hilarious to take part in and equally as funny if you are watching fully grown adults trying to dribble, tackle other players and score a goal. Mayhem and fun are guaranteed as you bounce off other players and roll around on the ground if you fall over. We are not surprised that its popularity is growing by the day and particularly amongst stag parties as you can play up to twenty-one people at a time.

So, is it for bubble-heads? Well, you look like a bubble-head wearing a zorb, so yes; it’s for bubble-heads.

Laser combat comes in at number ten for stag parties?

Our last, but not least top ten stag party activity is laser combat. Inside laser combat is generally known as laser tag while the outside game is usually called laser skirmish.

Laser tag offers simulations that can be simple or more structured strategy missions. The simple game is loads of fun with the more strategic versions being designed to encourage working together as a team, using leadership skills and effective communication. The choice will be yours.

Outdoor laser combat, or laser skirmish, usually offers a hi-tech, adrenaline-pumping, team-based game where players star in their own live, action packed outdoor video-like game. Armed with a hi-tech phaser gun that shoots an invisible, 100% safe, infrared beam which hits an opponent’s sensors, which are positioned at strategic places on their body. A lot of venues also offer night play, which enhances the experience for a more atmospheric game play.

So, there you have it; the top ten stag activity action adventures. Chose any one of them and you are guaranteed a great time. But, just because your the best man, don’t sweat the small stuff about finding the best venues and operators, download the Geronigo App, create your own Stag Organisers Event Page and make it easy to book activities, accommodation and all that stuff you need for a great stag party weekend. The Geronigo App will also sign-up participants and collects money so you don’t have to. Job done!

Written by CJ