Fact of Fiction: The Nottingham Stag Do

by Mark Booth
(Brighton)

There’s a myth that does the rounds every time the subject of the Nottingham stag do comes up about there being more women than men. It’s clearly nonsense, there’s just the same number as everywhere else, but there’s plenty of other more legitimate reasons to head to the centre of England and the home of Robin Hood for a stag weekend.

The Lace Market and the surrounding areas positively teem with revellers every weekend, making use of Nottingham’s staggering array of bars and clubs. You can definitely leave those hiking boots at home if you’re heading to Nottingham for a night out, all of the various venues are within easy reach of one another as well as the hotels that you’ll be wanting to catch some recovery sleep after you’ve tired out the dancefloors of the city.

Nottingham is one of the most popular destinations for hen and stag weekends in the UK and a huge reason for that is its location. It’s true of most men these days that they have friendship groups scattered around the country, especially if they leave home for university. Nottingham offers a convenient location in the centre of the country to ensure that everyone has a middleground to meet between where they live. This is an important consideration for a best man to take into account, as well as choosing activities that will cement good relations between members of the party.

Activities such as paintballing and go-karting are synonymous with stag parties for good reason – they introduce a competitive rivalry between you, which is great conversation matter to overcome those first couple of awkward drinks in the pub later. Once you’ve faced off against eachother with a paintball gun in your hands, you’ll feel just like old friends and your groom-to-be will feel comfortable linking the factions of your party together, rather than the night descending into cliques pulling in different directions.

Alternatively, stag do ideas that involve doing something for the first time can be just as good to use as your social glue – so perhaps try something really extreme. It’s possible to sky dive from a plane or even bungee jump in the surrounding area, which will really separate the men from the boys and great if you want to stitch up the stag if he’s scared of heights.

Nottingham’s popularity continues to grow with each passing year, so book early and get ready for a stag do that will be the perfect send-off for the groom-to-be before he walks down the aisle to married life.