Sheffield things to do: Stag and hen do 'boom' in Steel City fuels Yorkshire’s rise as a party hotspot

Yorkshire is known as God’s Country, but in recent years it has slowly turned into party heaven for a somewhat surprising sector – stags and hens.

Stag and hens specialist ‘Last Night of Freedom’ claim Sheffield is benefitting from the boom, with bookings in the Steel City shooting up by 25 per cent since the end of lockdowns.

“The pandemic opened a lot of people’s eyes to the charms of the UK, and many realised they didn’t need to fly abroad for a good time,” said Matt Mavir, managing director of Last Night of Freedom. “British stag and hen destinations have benefited from that. But increasingly, people are wanting to try out somewhere new.

“If you have been out in London or Liverpool a few times, it won’t excite you to return – that’s why cities like Sheffield are experiencing a bit of a boom as customers are seeking somewhere that bit different.”

According to the company, each ‘last big night’ is worth approximately £5,000 to the city. On a busy weekend – particularly during the summer peak period – the firm estimates that the city’s flourishing stag and hen industry can “easily generate six figures a week” for the tourism and hospitality sector.

“While they may split opinion, stags and hens are undoubtedly great for city centre firms – especially post-covid when bars and restaurants are still recovering from a pretty brutal few years - and they help prop up hundreds of jobs in Sheffield,” said Mr Mavir.

But it isn’t just bars that benefit from boozy pre-wedding jaunts to Sheffield. The city has seen an influx of new activities in recent years to help cater for the growing market. According to ‘Last Night’, the most popular stag activities in Sheffield are currently footgolf and indoor karting, while hens are booking everything from nude life drawing to flower crown workshops.

However growing demand for trips to the city have fuelled an influx of new, quirky activities to entertain groups when they aren’t painting the town red.

“We now offer everything from murder mystery nights to a comedy roast, where comedians come and put the bride or groom on trial for the night – they go all out and even wear barrister wigs – so the city has come a long way in terms of what is on offer,” added Mr Mavir.

“A decade or so ago, there would have just been bar crawls and maybe some paintballing. Now we offer up to 90 different activities in Sheffield, with a range that rivals any big city, so that’s testament to just how far the city has grown as a stag and hen destination.”

But it isn’t just Sheffield, with other Yorkshire destinations benefiting from surging demand to party in the White Rose County. Leeds has enjoyed a 37 per cent upswing in bookings since 2019, while in York is one of the fastest growing hen party markets in Europe, with trips almost doubling.