Naked paintballing with strippers, an S&M dungeon and 'Gary Barlow' on a pub crawl. These are just some of the crazy requests made by Brits before heading out on raucous stag and hen dos.
Each year, Last Night of Freedom sends thousands of up-for-it groups across Britain and Europe – and even as far as Antarctica - before their pals tie the knot. And the firm has lifted the lid on the requests staff face each week, from revellers determined to give their friend a send-off that they’ll never forget.
“One best man asked if we could arrange for a bus full of strippers to take the group into some woods in Eastern Europe. They then wanted to chase naked women around the trees while firing paintballs at them,” said sales manager Adam Cutts.
“That was a step too far for us, but we’ve pulled off some crackers. One group in Prague wanted to book a dominatrix stripper in a real S&M dungeon complete with gallows – we did sort this one."
Another stag turned up to the airport and called to say their plane was delayed. “We had to point out that they were actually a week early, but they were so drunk, they decided to just go anyway and we found a way to get them there."
And it's not just the fellas who are up for high jinks, he noted. “One group of older women even asked if we could source a Gary Barlow impersonator to go on a bar crawl with them," he said.
For over 20 years, staff at the Tyneside firm have organised wild jaunts, featuring lap dancing, handcuffs and plenty of booze. Covid battered the tourism sector, and stag and hens weren’t spared.
At one point in the pandemic, the firm faced a seven-figure refund bill while bosses admitted the chances of even surviving was 50/50. But business is booming again after fun-loving Brits booked up as soon as restrictions eased.
However the firm recently revealed Britain is facing a plastic willy drought, with novelty penis products in short supply due to on-and-off lockdowns in China. Yet with Brits desperate to get away post-pandemic, trade at the firm is booming.
Managing director Matt Mavir initially ran the company from his student digs in Newcastle, and it has since mushroomed into a multi-million pound business employing around 30 staff near the Quayside, as stags and hens seek something more exciting than a wet weekend in Margate.
“One customer asked if we could charter a submarine,” recalled Matt, who said groups can splash-out thousands on a send-off for their pals. Another group chartered a plane from London to Liverpool for the footy at Anfield, and asked if we could have a strip limo waiting for them upon arrival.”
And the industry has evolved to the point groups are no longer simply content making memories by tying the stag to a lamppost. “We can arrange for them to mud wrestle strippers, fire a Kalashnikov, or smash up a car with a huge hammer,” added Matt.
“An actor can even be hired to pose as police and ‘arrest’ the stag for a fake crime. They usually see the funny side a few hours later, plus we have a stripper waiting for them at the end of their ordeal.
"Eastern Europe is particularly easy going about wild activities, but British bookings are still surging post-covid, with Liverpool and Newcastle particularly popular, which may have a lot to do with Geordie Shore.”
Yet bookings to traditional hotspots like Krakow and Riga have dipped in recent weeks, amid apparent concern over the ongoing war in Ukraine. The firm has recently vowed to donate a share of profits to aid refugees, with Matt adding: “Eastern Europe is magnificent for the stag and hen industry, so we must do our bit to help them now.”
Ultimately, however, the industry is once again thriving after a bleak two years. And the secret to a good stag according to the experts? A good location, great company and plenty of booze – just don’t overdo it.
“We had one group that was so plastered on their flight to Gdansk, they hadn’t realised the flight had been diverted to Warsaw because of the weather,” recalled operations manager Katie Doyle. “They called claiming their transfers weren’t there but were left red-faced when they checked the airport signage and the penny dropped that they were over 200 miles away.
“But the best advice we can offer is to just enjoy it – like the one bloke who arrived to find his mates, who had flown from a different airport, had their flights cancelled. He ended up just doing the full stag by himself – Hummer limo, meals, strip clubs, the lot – and he wasn’t even the stag!”
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