To ask for some inspiration for a hen party

[Albertatata]

The remit: 16 ladies, in London (where most of us live) in July. The bride doesn't want to do a dance class. Nothing too tiaras, dressing up, blow up penisy. Not too expensive.

I'm really struggling, I would like to do a big activity and then out in the evening. Another bridesmaid wants to just get an apartment and butler in the buff and games in the apartment which I'm not completely against but apartments seem pretty expensive though and probably not ness seen as we all apart from two live in London.

Help give me some inspiration!

For mine we did macaroon making in Clapham then tapas, cocktails then cheesy club. Was fab.

How about something like Go Ape? Nothing like a hen do on zip wires! Bit different and definitely a good laugh. Around £30 a head. They don't offer group discounts but you can often find a discount code if you have a scout around.

There's a zombie apocalypse in the bunkers underground but I'm not sure what dates they do & it's about £60 a head. Not much help, sorry.

Afternoon tea and fizz.
Cocktail making classes
Some places do stuff like knicker making afternoons.

I went on a hen do at Thorpe Park - a lot of fun. We all used those buy one get one free vouchers. Not in London, I know, but thought I'd mention it just in case!

One good hen night involved a life drawing session - particularly good with a hen party who don't all know each other. The model was hot The model was fully respected by all of us as an autonomous creative individual.

Another good one I heard about was making chocolates, for a choc loving hen. Choc workshops

Somebody recommended me a trip on a canal in London... Hang on, I'll see if it comes up on the google...

this is one

here are some more

I'm having visions of wine, sangria, fancy cocktails...
Hell, can I come? I'm funny and in no way threatening to anyone's ego...

I was also going to suggest cocktail class. They are great fun.

We went to Pigalle Club on Piccadilly on one hen night which was a brilliant venue.

Ooh, boat trip to Camden markets sounds nice, and I'm not normally a massive fan of boat trips due to the 'can't escape' aspect.

Or what about doing a class at Circus Space?

Brilliant, thanks four the ideas and keep them coming. I love the idea of go ape, Thorpe park & the circus space (although that looks a bit pricey). I can't do the canal boat idea as I did that for the last hen party I organised! Also very intrigued by the zombie apolocalypse - what is that?

I love this piano bar it's super fun. You can book a table and order tapas type food. Pianist plays all the old classics and lots of modern stuff too. Generally ends in a huge, pissed sing song. Wonderful.

My hen do was last week. We went for lunch, then did cocktail making (which was brilliant), then went on a general all-dayer :)

Zombie apocalypse - you're in bunkers under Waterloo. An evil Nazi doctor has been experimenting & the undead are let loose! You get soft pellet guns, run round corridors (team leaders in character take you round) killing zombies & surviving, some puzzle solving I think. No need to dress up if you don't want to.

DH did the one at Warrington last month & said it was brilliant.

Best hen night I went to had an alien theme. We all wore wigs and outfits and were given laser guns and separate secret silly missions. It was hilarious and very good fun. We met at a friends house to receive our missions and sing the alien national anthem, twas great.

At a friend's 40th party in London recently we did a treasure hunt/pub crawl that was really fun

At a friend's 40th party in London recently we did a treasure hunt/pub crawl that was really fun

Vauxhall roller disco for evening?

There's this thing called Hidden Cities. You get text clues directing you to places in London that you wouldn't normally go. It takes about 3 hours (if you don't take any breaks), and costs £16 for everyone (however many people you have.) The one I did was so much fun, and even though I have lived in London for 4 years it took me to loads of places I never knew existed. Also some lovely places to stop and have a few drinks if you wanted.

Bumping for more ideas please!

last few years of Hen Parties:

Cocktail making class (Revolution, great fun)
Party bus tour of York - bar on board and a guide of bars/tourist attraction (fun but expensive and loo breaks were infrequent)
Afternoon tea at The Savoy
Cupcake decorating
Bollywood dance class
Kayaking and raft making jobbie (lots enjoyed it, my idea of hell)
Alton Towers

Vintage styling makeovers with a photographer to take pics then a tea or similar outing ?
I have a friend who does these in the North West and they look really good fun, especially when the hens go and do something like afternoon tea or a 40's dance hall event.

I'm in the throws of organising a hen party for in a couple of weeks time and here are some things we're having:

• Little black dress theme, so no pink feather boas or fishnets
• Mug shots of the hens taken the morning after the night out that we're going to frame as a gift for the bride to be
• A clue box given to btb on the way to the hen
• We are gin tasting and spa-ing it (not in London)

I can recommend Vinopolis for some cheap boozy fun and it takes a couploe of hours. I also once did a rooftop bar crawl which was great if the weather is nice. Can send some links if interested.

I too can recommend the Zombie apocalypse Waterloo thingy. Most brilliant fun, Hen night ever. I peed myself though, laughing - too many cocktails before. Just what I needed after living in Paris for 4 years where women just don't make spectacles of themselves like that!