Hen Vs Stag

We first found that both the average stag and hen were rather large this year; the average hen do consists of 14 people celebrating the occasions, with stag dos being slightly larger with 15 stags coming together. It would seem that both sexes struggled to cut down their guest list for their final ‘single’ hurrah, instead opting for big groups of family and friends.

Stags went all out in 2019, with the whole group spending £2,695 on average for their do’s location and activities, equalling an impressive £179.65 per person. The lads were more likely to splurge on the activities than hens, with their average amounting to £2,025 overall and £144.64 per person. A hefty £670 difference between the two – it’ll be interesting to see if this changes in 2020.

After analysing our booking data from this year, we revealed the top locations for both hen and stags; hens are more likely to pick locations in the UK, with London, Liverpool and Brighton taking the top three spots, followed by Cardiff and Edinburgh. Stags on the other hand were more likely to go further afield, with their top five found to be Budapest, Prague, Benidorm, Newcastle and Krakow.

Most people enjoy a tipple when they are on a hen or stag but, after surveying more than 3,000 Britons, we found that alcohol overindulgence is clearly prevalent for both sexes. Hens admit to drinking 35 units per day and stags 27 units per day – both of which exceed the weekly recommended amount by almost double.

Speaking of overindulgence, it was found that hens and stags also consume way over the recommended daily amount of calories each day. Hens consume on average 3,800 a day – 1,800 more than the average woman is recommended to consume a day; and stags put away an insane 4,200 calories per day – 2,200 more than their recommended daily amount. Given that their respective drunk foods are cheesy chips (containing roughly 710 calories for a small portion) and a lamb doner kebab (containing a massive 1,000 calories for a medium-sized kebab), it’s easy to see how the numbers quickly add up.

Everyone loves to dress up during a stag and hen break, so of course we wanted to find out what the most popular themes were. After questioning those who recently attended one of these events, hens were found to choose Burlesque, Army and Disney Princess themes the most often, with stags opting for Wrestlers, Lifeguards and Superheroes.

With the bride-to-be and groom-to-be often wearing accessories that make it clear they will soon be betrothed, often members of the public take it upon themselves to try it on with the clearly unavailable party members. We found that 89% of the main hens experienced people hitting on them, compared to 63% of head stags.

It’s sometimes hard to keep costs down when you arrive at your hen or stag destination, especially when you’re constantly going out for drinks, dinner and taking part in various activities. Stags were found to spend £110 per person per day, with hens being slightly more money-savvy, spending £70 per person per day.

No one can resist pulling a prank on the main hen or stag, with 78% of respondents saying their party pulled a fast one on the unsuspecting bride or groom-to-be. The top prank played to be played on brides-to-be was a surprise stripper, and the most popular prank played on a groom was an embarrassing costume, with everyone else choosing to remain in normal clothes.

Finding out that both hens and stags consume far too many calories when celebrating, across food and drink, it comes as no surprise that both do gain some party weight following their trips, typically between the region of 3lbs and 5lbs.

Not everyone is going to get on all the time during a hen or stag celebration; there are bound to be personality clashes, especially when different groups of people come together to celebrate the one person they love dearly, and 92% of those surveyed said they experienced problems. It would seem hens are more susceptible to these disagreements, with the average hen party reporting six falling outs, compared to stags one.

As so much alcohol is consumed, it would be a miracle to get through the do without someone throwing up or passing out. Stags admitted that someone threw up ten times, on average throughout their do and passed out eight times. On the other hand, hens were slightly more sensible, with someone in the party throwing up seven times on average and passing out just twice.

We’ve all been there; you’re out and about with the lads or ladies and one friend just seems to disappear into the night, only to reappear five hours later recalling the shenanigans that they got up to. Well, hens and stags also experience this phenomenon, with one disappearance for hens, and a massive six for stags happening over the duration of their celebration.