North East stag and hen dos are hiring tanks, police attack dogs and even fighter jets as they seek wilder pre-wedding celebrations post-covid.
More and more stag and hen parties are booking adrenaline-fuelled adventures instead of traditional weekends away, according to a leading industry firm.
Geordies have taken to booking less traditional getaways including being chased by a police attack dog in Krakow or driving a tank in Prague.
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Matt Mavir, Managing Director of Gateshead-based stag and hen do firm, Last Night of Freedom told The Northern Echo: “Customers are desperate to live life to the max after covid and are increasingly asking for once-in-a-lifetime experiences for their stag or hen.
“Newcastle and Liverpool are still our biggest sellers, and we do about 80% of our business in Britain. But increasingly, groups don’t want to settle for a so-called normal weekend.
“They not only want a completely unique experience, but also something that looks good on Instagram or Tik Tok.”
Matt says they have had a surge in bookings for holidays including tank driving, flying in Soviet fighter jets, being chased by police dogs and even trips to the North Pole where groups can feast on caviar and seal.
It comes after the firm revealed that Newcastle is now Europe’s top stag and hen destination, following a drop in bookings to Eastern Europe after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
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The company believes 180 groups visited Newcastle this weekend (August 6-7) alone and 2,000 British groups are travelling each weekend, meaning they are currently on for a record year.
Matt added: “It has helped that we’ve had three years effectively rolled into one, but it is safe to say the stag and hen industry is once again booming. Business is so good, we’ve just paid off a six-figure loan we needed to stay afloat during the pandemic,” he added.
“And while we are seeing an increasing number of enquiries about the more unusual activities, ultimately, people are just happy to have their freedom back.”
The firm last week (August 3) made a promise to NUFC players of a free stag do next summer if the team made it to the Champion’s League.
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