A good bachelor party doesn't need to be a disaster story waiting to happen. It needs a loose plan, a few games the whole crew can actually play, and a guest of honor who gets ribbed just the right amount. Here's how to put one together, whether you're doing a night out or keeping it at the house.
Decide early: night out or night in
This changes almost everything else about the plan. A night out means a schedule built around reservations, a designated driver or rideshare budget, and games that travel well, like a photo scavenger hunt around town. A night in means more room for games that take a little longer to run, like a full bracket of head-to-head challenges, and no one has to worry about closing tabs at multiple bars.
Give the groom a quiz he doesn't see coming
A "how well do you know the groom" quiz is one of the easiest ways to kick off the night, especially if you send it to him a week early without saying why, then play it back in front of the group. The gap between his answers and what the group actually knows is usually the funniest ten minutes of the night.
Run a few different kinds of games
Not everyone in the crew wants to do a scavenger hunt through a city at night, and not everyone wants to sit around a table, so mix it up:
- A photo scavenger hunt works well for a night out, turning bar hopping into something with a point.
- A bingo card of things that tend to happen on a guys' night runs quietly in the background all night with no extra effort.
- A deck of challenge, "never have I ever" and "would you rather" cards fills the lulls, whether that's a cab ride, a wait for a table, or a slow stretch at the house.
- A head-to-head competition, like a small olympics with a handful of events and two teams, gives the night a real finish line and something to argue about afterward.
Keep the toast and roast cards for the end
Save the advice cards and the friendly roast for toward the end of the night, once everyone's had a little time to loosen up but before anyone's too far gone to remember it. A short round of toasts works better than one long speech, since more people get a turn and no one has to follow a tough act.
Set the tone early
Decide as a group how far things go before the night starts, not during it. A night that stays PG-13 and keeps drinks optional is still a great bachelor party, and it means nobody feels pressured into something they didn't sign up for.
Our Bachelor Party Games kit is built for either version of the night: a 20-question groom quiz, a 20-item photo scavenger hunt, 48 challenge, Never Have I Ever and Would You Rather cards, and a Bachelor Olympics scoreboard with six events for two teams, sized for 4 to 20 guys, ages 21 and up.