50 bachelor party ideas, themes and games

Start with what the groom likes doing, set a price the guest with the least money can meet, and build the day around one main activity. The 50 ideas below are sorted by type, so you can jump to the group that fits him.

Wikipedia says the bachelor party is usually planned by the groom’s friends or family, which means a friend, not a professional, is running it. Keep the plan small enough for one person. Before you pick anything, ask the groom four things: a night, a day or a weekend; outdoors, at a table or in front of a game; who has to be there; and what is off the table.

The dinner-and-toasts version has a long history. Wikipedia, citing Time, traces a feast with toasts on the groom’s last night as a single man to Sparta in the fifth century BC.

• **Backyard cook-off.** Each guest brings a protein and a side. Judges score blind on a card, and the winner gets a trophy made from a kitchen tool.
• **Poker night with play chips.** A felt table, a dealer’s hat and a trophy for the winner. Nobody leaves out of pocket.
• **Pickup game and barbecue.** Basketball, softball or touch football for an hour, then the grill. Have enough shade and water for the slowest player.
• **Draft night.** Draft teams the way fantasy leagues do, then play a tournament in darts, cornhole or bowling.
• **Video game tournament.** A bracket on a whiteboard, a shared screen and a rule that the groom’s pick sets the first game.
• **Game-day watch party.** Put his team on the big screen and run a chili contest during halftime.
• **Tabletop one-shot.** A game master runs a single three-hour adventure, with ready-made characters so nobody has to learn rules first.
• **Backyard movie.** A projector, a bedsheet and the groom’s all-time favorite movie, with a popcorn bar.
• **Tasting flights.** Line up five hot sauces, coffees or whiskeys with numbers on the cups and a scorecard for each guest.
• **Learn to smoke ribs.** Start at nine in the morning with a smoker and a friend who knows how, and eat by dinner.
• **Darts and pub quiz.** Teams of three, a question round on the groom’s life, and a darts round for tiebreaks.
• **Home brew day.** Brew a batch for the wedding together, bottle it later and label it with the couple’s names.
• **Steakhouse dinner.** Book his favorite restaurant weeks ahead, ask for a single check per guest, and have one toast per course.
• **Trivia about the groom.** Ask his sister or college roommate for questions. Categories: first jobs, childhood teams, worst haircuts.

• **Golf scramble.** A four-person scramble means everyone contributes and no one holds up the group. Book tee times a few weeks ahead.
• **Fishing charter.** A boat with a captain and gear included, plus a cooler for lunch.
• **Paintball or laser tag.** Two teams, one flag, and the groom captains one side and the best man the other.
• **Go-karts.** Run a qualifying lap, then a final, and give a trophy for the fastest lap.
• **Axe throwing.** Ask the venue for a coach and a league-style bracket, and check its age and sobriety rules before you book.
• **Climbing gym.** Beginner routes, a lesson and a belay buddy for every guest.
• **River tubing or kayaking.** A float day with a cooler tube and a waterproof speaker.
• **Disc golf.** Low-cost, outdoors and easy for beginners. Bring a few extra discs.
• **Mountain biking.** Pick a trail graded for the least experienced rider and plan a lunch stop.
• **Ski or snowboard day.** Book a lesson for first-timers and agree a meeting spot for lunch.

• **Minor-league baseball game.** Ask the team about group tickets and a scoreboard message for the groom.
• **Pro game in a block of seats.** Buy tickets together and meet an hour before the first pitch for food.
• **Race day.** A motorsport weekend or a race-viewing party with a bracket for the finishing order.
• **Boxing or MMA gym class.** A coach-led, non-contact session that ends with a team photo.
• **Concert.** Choose a band the groom has loved since college and buy tickets in a block.
• **Comedy show.** Reserve a table at an early show so the group can talk after.

Wikipedia lists Las Vegas as a popular US bachelor party destination, and that is one option. A cabin or lake house within driving distance keeps the travel cost down. Agree on bedrooms before anyone books, and read the host’s rules on noise and guest limits.

• **Mountain cabin.** A fire pit, a long table and a trail nearby.
• **Lake house with a boat.** Tubing in the afternoon and a cookout at night.
• **Camping or backpacking.** Pick a route the weakest hiker can finish, and share the gear list in advance.
• **Nashville.** One live-music night, one barbecue meal and one slow morning.
• **Las Vegas.** A pool day, one big dinner and a show, with a firm budget agreed beforehand.
• **Ski chalet.** A shared kitchen and lift tickets, with a rest day built in.
• **Coastal fishing town.** A morning charter, a seafood dinner and a walk on the pier.
• **Golf weekend.** Two rounds at a public course and a hotel with a restaurant on-site.
• **Regional distillery trail.** Plan three stops, a driver, and a lunch between each.
• **National park weekend.** A day hike, a night at a lodge and a stop at the visitor center.

• **Hike and breakfast.** Start early, climb something moderate and eat a big breakfast on the way back.
• **Escape room.** Book a room for the group size and pick one with a mid-level difficulty.
• **Cooking class.** Pick a cuisine the groom has always wanted to learn, and eat the dinner you made.
• **Build day.** Spend a morning with a local nonprofit building or repairing something, then eat lunch together.
• **Museum and lunch.** Choose one museum the groom loves, with a long lunch afterward.
• **Board game cafe.** Reserve a table for a few hours and pick games the whole group can play.
• **Shore fishing.** Bring rods, chairs and sandwiches to a pier.
• **Sauna and cold plunge.** Ask a local spa about a group booking, and check its rules on length of stay.
• **Sunrise pickup game.** Early and fast, with breakfast tacos after.
• **Letters night.** Each guest writes the groom a short letter, reads it aloud, and hands it over in an envelope.

A theme works when it gives the group something to do. The costume is optional.

Pick two, and keep each under fifteen minutes. These draw on the groom’s own life, so nothing needs a kit, and none asks anyone to be humiliated.

• **Name that year.** Each guest sends one memory with the groom and the year it happened. The group guesses the year before the story is told.
• **Playlist duel.** Two teams build a short playlist for the groom. He ranks them and the winning team picks the next stop.
• **Tournament bracket.** Seed a bracket of any simple game (darts, cornhole, ping-pong), with the groom as the final boss.
• **Story cards.** Each guest writes a one-line story starter. Pass the cards around, and each person finishes the one they pull.
• **Letters to the couple.** Everyone writes a short note for the groom and bride to read on their first anniversary.
• **The groom’s hot seat.** Each guest asks the groom one question he has to answer in ten seconds. Skip questions about exes.
• **Best man’s bracket.** Rank the groom’s ten greatest hits in a single-elimination bracket: foods, movies, trips, nicknames.
• **Photo scavenger hunt.** Teams find and photograph things from the groom’s history: his old school, a favorite diner, a team logo.
• **Blind taste test.** Pour five sodas, coffees or sauces into numbered cups and see who names the most.
• **Tailgate budget.** Hand each team a small budget and a store, and ask them to buy the groom’s ideal tailgate. He judges.
• **Dinner table toasts.** Pass a glass and have each guest finish the sentence, “The day I knew he’d be a great husband was…”
• **Wager of favors.** Each guest writes a harmless favor on a card. The groom draws one for each course.

Most bachelor plans stall in the first message, because it asks questions that cannot be answered without numbers. This one gives a plan and asks for two things. Copy it and fill in the brackets.

“Hey everyone. [Groom’s name] is getting married on [wedding date], and we are doing [a day / a night / a weekend] in [place] on [dates]. The plan is [one sentence on the main activity]. The full cost will be about [amount] a person, covering [what is included]. Before anything is booked, reply to me directly, not the group, with two answers: can you make the dates, and is the amount comfortable? If not, tell me what would be, and I will plan to that number. I need your reply by [date], because [the cabin / the tee time / the restaurant] needs a final count. Payment is due by [date] using [one method]. Thanks.”

Each guest covers his own share. Whether the group also covers the groom is a choice, and both work if the first message states which. In either case, divide the total by the number of people paying and round up to the next dollar.

Here is the arithmetic with a round total of $1,000, picked only because it is easy to divide. It is not a typical price. The group is ten, including the groom.

Collect money in one place, keep a list of who has paid, and ask each guest privately what he can spend, then plan to the lowest answer. Read the refund terms before collecting a deposit.

A single day is easier to attend than a weekend, and it works for guests who cannot leave family for two nights. This golf-and-dinner day has one booking, one meal and room to breathe.

If you will give a speech at the wedding, the wedding toast guide is the next read. The bride’s side has its own page: bachelorette party ideas. If the couple wants the day on their wedding website, Aisle lets them show an event to chosen guests and hide it from everyone else. See the wedding website builder.