The Bachelor Party is a rite of passage for all grooms to party the night away with their best buddies as a last sojourn as a single man. Everyone has got their own ideas of how to plan a Bachelor Party and quite often in South Africa, it turns into a weekend affair of male bonding time. It’s become popular to try a range of activities before the party even starts – from boozy lunches, to go-carting, gambling and embarrassing pranks- all at the groom’s expense obviously.
When you mention a Bachelor party it’s hard not to let your thoughts turn to a strip clubs and drunken nights out. Whilst we are sure this tradition isn’t about to die anytime soon, it’s always worth checking with the groom to make sure he’s comfortable with it. After all – it’s meant to be his celebration.

Some Outdoor Fun
There’s been a big trend in modern Bachelor Parties to head into the outdoors for an extreme adventure before the night-time festivities begin. Abseiling, river-rafting and quad biking are all popular and affordable activities to aid in male-bonding. You can choose to head out for a few hours or make a whole weekend of it.
A Party Bus
A party bus is a great option for a full day and night of activities allowing you to hit the town and not have to worry about drinking and driving. You can plan a route to all your favourite bars, hotspots and end the stag party at any wild destination of your choice.
A party bus is also a great way to keep everyone together, you can play your own music, choose your own drinks and hop-off at all your favourite places.
Take a look at PartyBus.com (www.partybus.com) if you’re in Johannesburg, or Party Bus Hire (www.partybuscapetown.com) if you’re in Cape Town and the Durban Party Bus (www.thepartybus.co.za) if you’re in Durban.

Beer Tour
‘Booze’, whether we admit it or not, is a central element of any bachelor party and we can’t think of a better way to spend the day than with a day of beer tasting with our best mates. South Africa has an excellent selection of local tours and micro-brewery tasting options to keep you busy and smiling, with a beer in hand.
Cape Town’s flourishing craft beer scene has more options than you can try in a day – we’d recommend the Super Cool Beer Tour (www.supercoolbeertour.co.za). You can hop on the bus for a few hours and explore the Mother City’s best ale and lager.
Golf Tour Weekend
With some of the best golf courses right on our doorstep, a golf tour weekend can be a great option for sport-loving grooms and groomsmen. Not only do you get to spend the day out on the course with your best buddies but golf resorts often have a casino, great restaurants, games rooms and a spa to keep you all entertained.
The added bonus? Your accommodation will likely be on the estate meaning there’s no risk of drunk driving. There are great options all over the Western Cape, but George offers the cream of the crop.
Pub Golf
If a weekend away at a 5-star golf resort sounds like it might be out of your budget, think back to your years of varsity drinking and wild nights out playing Pub Golf.
Everyone plays the game a little differently, but the simplest way is as follows: every bar is a hole and each hole has a designated par based on a drink and the number of gulps it takes to finish it. Just like the real game, each players score is the number of gulps it takes to finish the drink.
The drinks you choose and the pars you set determine how brutal the game gets. Just make sure you have a taxi service taking you home at the end of your 9 holes.
Steak and cigars
For the contemporary gentleman interested in keeping the shenanigans down to one night, we’d suggest a night of excellent food, fine whiskey and Cuban cigars.
Start out with a few top-shelf whiskey tastings at a swanky bar in town and then head to your favourite red-meat dining spot. End-off the night with a glass of the finest and a smoky cigar to toast the occasion with your best mates.

Strippers and Strip Clubs
Without a doubt there will be one person in the Bachelor Party that insists on having a stripper around to the party or going to a strip club during the party. Although this is a popular tradition for Bachelor Parties, make sure the groom is up for it and it’s something he would enjoy.
Things to take into account here are whether everyone has the budget to go to a strip club (as clubs generally have an entrance fee and *tipping* etiquette).

Activities to add to your schedule
• Paintball (always a winner).
• Laser Tag (www.battlefieldlive.co.za)
• Shark cage diving (a little pricey).
• Sky diving/ bungee jumping (for the extremists).
• Go-carting (watch the whiplash).
• Theme park (Ratanga Junction/Gold Reef City).
• Cricket/soccer/beach volley ball (great for sports lovers).

Tips to help you embarrass the groom
• Dress him up in something ridiculous. Ladies clothing or a Halloween outfit from a fancy dress store usually does the trick.
• Some embarrassing stories from early college days or disastrous girlfriend experiences are a great way to embarrass the groom amongst the group.
• Put together some dares or questions the groom has to answer (preferably embarrassing ones) and if he refuses to play or gets an answer wrong – give him a drink (responsibly please!).

Considerations
• If you plan on drinking, make sure you hire a taxi service or Uber drivers to fetch and carry you. ‘Designated Dave’ no longer has to be invited to the party.
• Other people’s budgets. If you want to do some pricey activities, check with all the guys before you make any bookings.
• Include family members. We’re not saying you should take Grandpa to the strip club, just make sure that all family members are included to some elements of the celebration- perhaps a dinner or braai beforehand.
• Draw the line – the party is meant to be fun and push the envelope, but don’t push the groom into anything harmful or dangerous.