Planning a bachelor party for 2024 or 2025 is more fun than ever! It’s not just about drinking and going out anymore, today’s bachelor parties involve any activity that gets all the guys together! As long as all the grooms’ favorite friends and family are there enjoying themselves, it’ll be the best bachelor party possible. This handy bachelor party planning guide covers everything from activities to FAQs to the perfect gifts for groomsmen! 

Planning A Bachelor Party: Guide to Activities, Decorations, & More!

Modern bachelor parties can be anything from hiking to beer tasting! They don’t need to be a wild night out on the town. Just make sure you choose themes, activities, and games that the bachelor will love and his friends will enjoy too. Take inspiration from the groom’s favorite hobbies, places, drinks, and foods and incorporate them into your plan! 

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Who Plans the Bachelor Party? Who Pays?

Typically, the best man is responsible for planning the bachelor party. The groom may plan if he chooses, but it’s not very common. The best man and groomsmen usually pay for the bachelor party. Unless the party requires travel and lodging, the groom is traditionally not expected to pay. If everyone agrees on a bachelor party idea that is out of town or unusually expensive, the groom may want to contribute.

Bachelor Party Themes & Activities

The easiest way to plan a bachelor party is to decide on a main activity and then expand from there! Doing a backyard barbecue? Make sure you have some yard games. Planning a skiing trip? Find the perfect cabin or chalet for the party. Still looking for the right activity for the groom’s big party? We compiled some of our favorite bachelor party activities and themes to help get you started!

1) Bachelor Camping Trip: A Weekend in the Woods

If your groom and his friends are outdoorsy, a camping trip is the perfect bachelor party idea! Depending on the fitness and commitment of the group you could do anything from a strenuous backpacking trip to a casual car camping trip. If you’re car camping, grab your camping stove to make a meal for the gang and be sure to pack the cooler with plenty of drinks. Make sure everyone has the right gear before the trip including sleeping bags, backpacks, and tents!

2) Bachelor Ski Trip: Shredding Before the Wedding

If the group has a big enough budget for a ski trip, grab your ski poles and get on the mountain together! A skiing or snowboarding bachelor party is especially accessible if you live near a skiable mountain. Make sure everyone in the group is prepared with goggles, snow suits, and helmets. You could even buy warm ski socks for everyone as a useful gift for the trip. This idea is perfect for a groom who loves a thrill.

3) Bachelor Brewery Hopping: Brews Before ‘I Dos’

One of the simplest ideas for a bachelor party is a day out at the breweries. This is the perfect plan if the groom is the type of person who just loves to chill with his friends and a good beer. Just choose a few of the best breweries in the area and map a route to check out each one. Most importantly: make sure to arrange transportation or a designated driver between each one so that no one is drinking and driving!

4) Bachelor Fishing Trip: He’s Hooked

If the groom loves fishing, why not take the whole bachelor party on a fishing trip? For a simple and affordable trip you could grab your fishing poles and go to the local lake, island, or ocean. If you have a larger planning budget, take the crew out on a fishing charter for the day! You may want to bring a tackle box, a cast net, and extra fishing tools for any members of the group who don’t have their own fishing gear.

5) Attend a Sports Game: Tailgate & Celebrate Bachelor Party

If the groom loves sports, plan ahead and find tickets to a sports game the groom would enjoy! Fill the cooler with beers, grab a portable grill, and have a fun tailgate before the game to celebrate the groom. Make sure you have plenty of tailgate-friendly game supplies like cornhole boards and a portable beer pong table. After the tailgate everyone can root on the groom’s favorite team together.

6) Bachelor Booze Cruise: Rent a Boat!

Everyone loves a day out on a boat. Rent a boat for the bachelor party group to spend the day in the sun and on the water. Make sure you pack plenty of drinks, tubes to float on, and maybe some fishing gear. Yeti can coozies will keep your drinks cold all day and are the perfect gift for the groomsmen. You can even buy an inflatable beer pong set so you can play drinking games out in the water.

7) ATV or Motorcycle Riding: Last Ride Before the Bride

Get a little mud on the tires and rent ATVs or motorcycles for the day! This bachelor party idea is creative and exhilarating. Set up a tent or camper with drinks and food to celebrate the groom after your ride. Choose this idea if your bachelor party group is full of thrill-seekers. Even the group members who have never driven an ATV will enjoy learning a new and exciting skill. This bachelor party idea is especially accessible if you live near a desert, forest, or swamp with ATV trails!

8) Bachelor Hiking Adventure: Visit a National or State Park

Want an outdoor adventure and a physical challenge? A hiking bachelor party is the perfect way to get the boys to be active while spending quality time together. Everyone just needs water bottles, hiking backpacks, and snacks for the hike. If you’re going to be out on the trail for more than a few hours you’ll also want to be prepared with a proper outdoors water filter. As party favors, you could gift everyone custom water bottles or baseball caps.

9) Bachelor Golf Trip: Let’s Par-Tee

A day at the golf course might be the ideal bachelor party idea. You can go to any local golf course for the day or you can make it a destination party by flying out to one of the professional courses. You can spend the whole day doing all 18 holes with the boys if the weather is nice. If the weather disagrees, everyone can hang out in the golf course bar or restaurant to celebrate the future groom!

10) Bachelor Bar Crawl

Plan a bar crawl for the fellas for a fun night out! You could take the group to all of the bachelor’s favorite bars in town or you could explore bars you’ve never been to in an exciting new city. You could even choose a theme for the bachelor party bar crawl that everyone has to dress up in silly costumes for. Just make sure everyone has a safe and sober mode of transportation, whether that means renting a party bus, assigning designated drivers, or choosing bars within walking distance.

11) Low Key Bachelor BBQ Party

The best way to get everyone together for a meal is to have a backyard barbecue. You can set up fun yard games like ladder toss and cornhole. Then invite all the groom’s best friends and family! As long as you have a nice grill, some grilling accessories, and a nice outdoor space you’ll be able to feed everyone easily and affordably. 

12) Local Casino or Las Vegas Bachelor Party: Let the Good Times Roll

Las Vegas is a classic destination if you’re going all-out for the bachelor party. Can’t do a trip to Vegas? Bring the Vegas vibes by planning a bachelor party at your local casino. Either way, everyone will have a fun time playing roulette, slots, and poker. If you want to have a Vegas-style bachelor party on an even stricter budget, you could plan poker night in your own living room.

Fun Bachelor Party Games

Party games will keep everyone at the bachelor party entertained and engaged. It will also help create ice breaker situations to get people who haven’t met each other talking and having fun together. Depending on how much time you have you can pick games that need a little preparation like a scavenger hunt or simply buy a prepackaged game.

1) Bachelor Party Scavenger Hunt

Bachelor Party Scavenger Hunt Scratch Offs

A scavenger hunt may be the perfect option to get the whole group working together. You can split the group into teams to help them coordinate. This will be especially great for any guests who don’t know many of the other friends and family of the groom. You can spend time planning the scavenger hunt yourself or search for a premade template online! If you want to mix it up, buy scavenger hunt scratch off cards so the task will be a surprise to the groomsmen.

2) Bachelor Party Bingo Game

Printable Bachelor Party Bingo Game

Bachelor party bingo is a fun twist on bingo and the typical scavenger hunt! Each square on the bingo card has a dare or activity for the groomsmen to do. To make it easier, split everyone into teams. To make it more difficult, challenge them to black out the entire card. 

3) Jenga Style Drinking Game for Bachelor Parties

Bachelor Party Tumble Tower Game

Everyone has played Jenga but have you played the drinking version? This simple to play game is an exciting twist on the classic block tower game we all love. Each block has a drinking-based activity printed on it. This game will keep everyone engaged without needing any complicated game instructions.

4) Battleshots Bachelor Party Board Game

Battleshots® Board Game

Battleshots is the drinking version of one of everyone’s favorite childhood games: Battleship. Drink the shots on each of your ships as your opponent guesses their location. Once the shots are gone, they sunk your battleship. Your groomsmen will love the throwback to the game you played as kids together combined with the fun of drinking to celebrate the upcoming wedding.

5) Drink-A-Palooza Party Game

DRINK-A-PALOOZA Drinking Board Game

Drink-a-Palooza is the ultimate drinking game for small bachelor parties! This Monopoly-esque board game involves a bunch of different drinking challenges and games. It can be played with 2-12 players so everyone can be included!

6) Yardzee & More Giant Dice Games (for Outdoor Bachelor Parties)

Yardzee, Farkle, & 20+ Outdoor Games

If you’re bringing the boys outside for the bachelor party, you’ll want some backyard games to keep everyone active. Consider buying Yardzee or a similar outdoor version of one of your favorite games. This set comes with giant dice, score cards, and more. 

7) Bags Cornhole Game

Custom Cornhole Boards Wedding Gift

Everyone loves a game of cornhole! This classic yard game is perfect for any outdoor bachelor party including tailgates, backyard BBQs, and beach days. Although some people call it by different names (cornhole, bags, bean bag toss, etc.), most of your bachelor party guests will already know how to play this game. Have a custom version made for the couple to double as a wedding present!

Bachelor Party Gifts for the Groomsmen (They’ll Actually Use)

The more useful the gift, the more your groomsmen will appreciate them! Pick something that everyone in your group will enjoy. Customized gifts with the groomsmen’s names on them are especially thoughtful. Below are some of our favorite picks for fun and creative bachelor party gifts for all of your groomsmen.

1) Groomsmen Can Koozies

​​Personalized Engraved YETI® Colster

No one can argue with the importance of keeping your drink cold. Take it a step above your average koozie with an insulated can cooler that’s engraved with the groomsmens’ names.

2) National or State Park Passes

National Parks and Federal Lands Annual Pass

Spending the bachelor party at a national park? Wrap in their bachelor party gift by paying for all the guests’ park passes. Depending on your budget you can pay for the day access, a state park annual pass, or a national parks annual pass. This is a great way to give back while giving a gift to the groomsmen.

3) Custom Pocket Knives for Groomsmen

Engraved Pocket Knife Bachelor Party Gift

A gift that will be useful beyond the bachelor party weekend is one of the best choices you can make for the groomsmen. Consider having custom pocket knives made for the guys that are engraved with their names or initials.

4) Sunglasses for Outdoor Bachelor Parties

Personalized Mens Sunglasses for Groomsmen

An extra pair of sunglasses is always appreciated, especially for an outdoor bachelor weekend. Choose a set with custom cases to add a personalized touch to your bachelor party gifts. This gift doubles as an opportunity to get a photo with all the guys in matching sunglasses.

5) Personalized Groomsmen Flasks

Leather Engraved Groomsmen Flasks

A flask engraved with your groomsmens’ initials is a gift they won’t ever forget. A high quality and personalized gift like this will be much appreciated and probably much used for years to come.

6) Etched Groomsmen Rocks Glasses

Custom Groomsmen Rocks Glasses

All your groomsmen will love a custom rocks glass, whether they're the type of guys who don’t have a single glass in their house or the type who already have a full bar setup. Have their initials etched into the bottom of the glasses for a unique touch to a classic gift.

7) Personalized Tumblers for Summer Bachelor Parties

Custom Tumbler Bachelor Party Gift

An insulated tumbler is a life saver on hot day by the pool or at the lake. Buying your groomsmen custom tumblers as a bachelor party gift will ensure their drinks stay cold all weekend long.

8) Bachelor Party Hangover Recovery Kits

Bachelor Party Hangover Recovery Kit

Realistically, there will be some consequences to your rowdy bachelor party weekend, even if you’re trying to keep it tame. Give the boys recovery kits with advil, bandaids, extra toiletries, and more to make sure everyone is ready to keep the fun going all weekend.

9) Custom Beer Glasses for Groomsmen

Personalized Beer Cups for Wedding Party

Beer glasses are great to use during the bachelor weekend and double as a favor they can take home and use forever. Plus, custom glasses mean your beers won’t get mixed up. 

10) Personalized Groomsmen Travel Bag

Personalized Travel Bag For Groomsmen

More and more, people are traveling for a weekend away for their bachelor party. A travel bag is a great way to help your guys stay organized on the trip. Plus, they double as a toiletry bag they can use for everything they need to get ready on wedding day.

Start Planning the Ultimate Bachelor Party

Planning a bachelor party can be challenging, creative, and super fun. Make sure to create a list of all of the supplies you need to buy and the tasks you need to do. With a list you’ll be able to check off items as you go to make sure you get everything done before the big day! Don’t forget you can always ask some of the other groomsmen, family members, or friends to help you out. We hope this guide helped give you some inspiration as you plan the ultimate bachelor party for your best bud!

Thinking about your other responsibilities as a groomsman? Learn more about all the wedding party roles!

Wedding Party Roles & Responsibilities You Need To Know