Birmingham Stag Do

A Birmingham stag do is the one I recommend when the guest list is scattered all over the country. The city sits slap in the middle of England, the trains go just about everywhere, and nobody gets to moan about the journey. You get big nights out, a surprising amount of canal, and a curry the city proudly calls its own. It’s a city break with no passport needed, which is handy when the stag still hasn’t renewed his.

A Birmingham stag weekend also gives you choices. Big, loud Saturday night, or craft beer and street food in old warehouses. I’d plan one of each and let the lads vote with their feet.

Broad Street is the classic. It’s the strip most stag and hen groups head for, lined with big bars and clubs, and it’s where you’ll find the noisiest Saturday in the city. Brindleyplace sits just behind it on the canal, which makes it a calmer spot to eat and start the night before things get loud.

If your lads prefer warehouses to wine lists, go to Digbeth. It’s the old industrial patch just east of the centre, full of independent bars, breweries, street food and games bars where you can play darts or mini golf with a pint in hand. Hurst Street, the heart of the city’s LGBTQ+ scene, does some of the liveliest nights in town. St Paul’s Square, on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter, is the grown-up choice for cocktails.

Line the stomach first. Birmingham is where the balti was born, and making the stag order something far too hot is a tradition I fully support.

There’s plenty of space around the city for the noisy stuff. Go karting, paintball and quad biking are the obvious picks, and they work for a big group because nobody needs any talent to join in. The stag certainly won’t have any.

Want to stay in town? Digbeth’s games bars do crazy golf without anyone having to put their drink down. Cricket fans can check what’s on at Edgbaston, and a canal walk is a decent way to blow off Saturday’s cobwebs. Cadbury World in Bournville is there for the lad who genuinely loves chocolate more than beer. Every group has one.

Birmingham New Street is one of the best-connected stations in the country, so most of the group can get the train and skip the argument about who drives. Birmingham Airport is handy for anyone flying in from Scotland or Northern Ireland. Once you’re in, the centre is walkable, and Broad Street, the Bullring and Digbeth are all reachable on foot or with a short taxi ride.

• Bring ID. Doormen can be strict, and nobody wants the stag turned away because his driving licence is still on the kitchen table.
• Fancy dress. Some bars are happy with big costumes, others aren’t. Check with anywhere you book, and pick something from our stag do costumes that comes off fast if needed.
• No drinking in the street. Police in UK city centres can usually stop you drinking in public, so keep the cans for the hotel.
• Book tables for Saturday. Big groups get a warmer welcome with a reservation. If a door looks wary, split into smaller groups.
• Weighing up options? Nottingham and Leicester are close by and worth a look before you commit.

I’d keep the group in the centre. It’s walkable, and Broad Street, the Bullring and Digbeth are all reachable on foot or with a short taxi ride, so nobody gets stranded on the wrong side of town.

If your lot are there for the big, loud Saturday, base yourselves near Broad Street, with Brindleyplace on the canal just behind it for a calmer meal before things kick off. If they’re more craft beer and street food, Digbeth is the shout, with its independent bars, breweries and games bars on the doorstep. The grown-up option is St Paul’s Square on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter, which suits a group that wants cocktails and a decent night’s sleep.

My practical tip: there’s no drinking in the street, so pick somewhere you can have a few before you head out. Keep the cans for the hotel, not the pavement.

Friday Everyone gets the train into Birmingham New Street, which settles the who’s driving row before it starts. Line the stomach with a balti, since this is where it was born, and make the stag order something far too hot. Then head to Digbeth for the warehouse bars and breweries, and a game of darts with a pint in hand.

Saturday Daytime means getting out of town for something noisy. I’d pick quad biking or paintball, because nobody needs any talent and the stag definitely has none. Back in the centre, eat somewhere calm by the canal at Brindleyplace, then catch a comedy night before the main event on Broad Street, the noisiest Saturday in the city. Book tables for the big group, bring ID because the doormen can be strict, and split into smaller crews if a door looks wary.

Sunday A canal walk is the best way to blow off Saturday’s cobwebs, and the stag can walk it off at his own pace while the rest of you take the mick. If there’s cricket on, check Edgbaston. If there’s one lad who loves chocolate more than beer, Cadbury World in Bournville will keep him happy while the rest of you go back for one more balti before the train home.