to think chavy, tacky hen parties should SOD off [Edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

[CannoninD]

I’m fed up.
I’ve lived in my beautiful, respectful and historic city my entire life .... but over the last year it’s been invaded by GOD AWFUL hen parties!

20+ strong groups of horrifically common (referring to behaviour not social class) women who inflict their horrific behaviour on everybody within reach.

They’re EVERYWHERE and I know it’s not just me as there are sunbstantial concerns being raised by residents all over the city.

I counted 23 large groups this weekend (I only walked into the (small ish) city centre on Saturday morning and witnessed the following behaviour-

• Loud swearing (F and C word) right in front of/across young families and children just trying to enjoy a day out.
• Shop doors slammed in elderly shoppers faces (too busy pratting around to pay any attention).
• Stock being damaged by pratting about (and then hidden) to avoid paying.
• Horrifically vulgar and inappropriate content being loudly discussed in family areas (a garden/park area) to the point that families got up and left.
• Completely inappropriate Lingerie being worn in the street (before 2pm).
• Vomiting in the street! Whilst being jeered by the rest of the group.

Personally I would rather bleach out my own eyes than go on a hen do like this- but honestly at what point do we just call the police on these ridiculous idiots inflicting such unreasonable behaviour on families and regular people? What’s worse is, I bet back home they’re perfectly normal women. They just all get together and come away from home and behave like total arseholes!

Being in a large group and celebrating an event- does not give you a hall pass to behave like scum. 😡

Oh yeah, and too many hotels/B&Bs that will let people stay four to a room on the cheap! So not unlike the Dublin Temple Bar tourists in the story somebody linked to upthread.

I'm not even having one..just not my scene. Opting for a civilized nice meal out instead

A town local to me that was getting a reputation for stag and hen weekends controlled it by putting out new rules that nobody would be served or allowed into a club if they were clearly a stag/hen party. So, no matching outfits, no sashes, no hilarious nickname t-shirts, etc.

It did help, I think because people take on a kind of primitive pack mentality when clearly presenting themselves as a stag/hen group together. Remove the pack mentality, and the town centre has calmed down a hell of a lot.

YANBU
I’m from central London - never witnessed this but it sounds grim.

Surely the drunk of gone by days was always frowned upon for their behaviour in public. They would be arrested for being drunk and disorderly or for a breach of the peace. Can you imagine that happening now, there would be an outcry "can't folk enjoy themselves nowadays" that is of course there were enough police to actually arrest the culprits. Afraid it's societies acceptance, the expectation of being able to do what you want regardless of effects on others and of course the almost 24 hour access to alcohol. Brits have a reputation in a lot of European cities of just being drunken louts when on stag/hen does. Won't change here I'm afraid. Did hear that Amsterdam is trying to ban the groups particularly in relation to renting AirB&Bs. And we all know how tolerant Amsterdam is so it must be bad. What you are seeing is humanity at its best - selfish.

manicmij you hit the nail on the head there - selfish is absolutely what they are.

Anybody else picturing Big Sandra in her ‘smash me back doors in’ T shirt wandering around Anne Frank’s house?

Newcastle has a reputation as a great night out and I shouldn't think York pubs would be any cheaper. Why bother?

Because people like a trip out to a new place obviously. No one I know takes the price of drinks into account when going out.

I did seasonal work in Blackpool years ago, and that lot is tame to the things I witnessed. Wait until they start performing sex acts on whatever charmer they pulled the night before, or defacating in the street in broad daylight. There is usually a great deal of alcohol involved, and I agree, it's vile.

Yes I could understand people from Newcastle or wherever thinking they'd enjoy a day out in York as tourists but when they're just going in pubs it doesn't really matter where they are does it?

I am from York and moved away precisely because of this behaviour. When my son was two/three and still in a push chair some very drunk guy stumbled out of a pub and promptly vomited over my son’s feet then proceeded to lie, paralytic in the path. You couldn’t take your kids into the town centre without witnesses some obscenity or awful behaviour so we just avoided ever going in. Wasn’t much point being there in the end. It’s so sad as it’s a beautiful city with much to offer.

missyfafa that’s terrible. I hope you kicked him squarely in the bollocks, the dirty bastard

I have some sympathy with the OP. Edinburgh's almost as bad. I was invited to a hen do recently and the online discussion was getting into the male stripper territory. I suggested axe throwing (I looked it up and it was an option)but no one else fancied it. I guess they'd have to be sober. Anyway I opted out of the occasion. The last thing I want to do is wander round with a bunch of drunken strangers holding their hair out of their vomit.

lauramaywharton
Don't live in a city then that have loads of pubs and clubs :S

Is that a serious suggestion?
I moved to York over 20 years ago when it was nothing like it is now.
I have friends and family here, I have built up a life here.

So I should remove my children from their schools, friends and clubs, I should go through all the stress and expense of moving simply because some ill mannered, dragged up idiots are unable to behave themselves?

Yes I could understand people from Newcastle or wherever thinking they'd enjoy a day out in York as tourists but when they're just going in pubs it doesn't really matter where they are does it?

Yes, because they are different pubs, different people, a night in a hotel. I've been to different cities lots of times for hen parties and occasionally we've done an open top bus tour but it's mainly drinking and eating. However we've never behaved like the people being described by the OP.

maybe it’s about them not shitting on their own doorstep, quite literally sometimes

I was in York for the races on Saturday (awaits flaming). Mixed group. The OP may not believe it but we like going to York because it’s “classier” than my own home city which also has a racecourse . Although I absolutely don’t doubt the OP’s greater experience of York, and there were a number of hen & stag parties around, no issues on the train there or at the races. Had a drink in a city centre pub followed by a nice meal, then train home - quite crowded but no trouble. Just to say that it is still possible! I’ve been going to York for years and would hate that to have to change - must admit to being a lot giddier when I was younger, but have never been the type to swear, discuss my sex life in public or wee in the streets.
And people must have money to spend - a day at York races is very far from being a cheap day out.

If you have been to York for the races for years, I do not believe for a second that you haven’t noticed the drunken groups around.
Including the ones who were at the races.
Unless you were drunk yourself (or consider that to be normal at 4.00pm).

Because it is impossible to miss if you are around Micklegate.

On the other side, if you have a nice meal etc... after the races, and the changes the op would like to see happen, it won’t affect you. So why being sad about it???

This thread has been quite educational. I think I've gained a valuable insight into how these people justify their behaviour after they've sobered up.

For example, I've now learnt that if you don't like encountering vile behaviour in your city centre, you shouldn't live in a city with loads of pubs and clubs. So, er, that's most of them then, isn't it?

Time for all us urban Mumsnetters to move to the countryside, then. Resign from your jobs, say Sayonara to your friends and family in the area, change your kids' schools. Make them say goodbye to all their friends!

Yep, that's reasonable. Certainly much more reasonable than expecting Sophie and Helen to stop shouting about sex acts on the high street at 2pm.

These people really do feel cities like York are just theme parks for tourists, don't they?

Horrendous. Pity the poor guy who is marrying that.

And the reasons why they are going to York rather stay at home is because York is seeing as classy.

You just have to look at people in trains from Middlesbrough. All well dressed and posh looking but with 2 cans of beer each in their hands at 11.00am. The same people that will struggle to walk straight at 4.00pm. At least, they often go back home by 6.00pm.
The other drunken groups of men often make me uncomfortable and unsafe when walking in the street.

One time in a (out of the way and usually quiet) pub, we’ve had a hen party with Chippendale doing a striptease.
Everyone else (and they were mainly locals) was and

These people really do feel cities like York are just theme parks for tourists, don't they?

They do, don't they JamieVardysHavingAParty? Perhaps they don't realise people actually live there. They wouldn't care if they did - that's why there was the comment that people should just move.

I live in a residential area of central London which also has lots of hotels because it's a good base for tourists. Foreign and British.

I'm happy about the tourists because if it wasn't for them, there wouldn't be so many restaurants round here. When the place was built, the planners put in a pub on almost every street corner because they knew the locals would like that - unlike in the posher neighbouring district, which is very dry if you're thirsty . Most of the pubs survive and there are a couple of new ones which were converted from former banks.

I like the tourists and I wouldn't move. But ours are nice. We don't get hen and stag parties. Poor old York. I've always wanted to visit. I'll take people's advice and do it from Tues-Thurs and go home before the women with inflatable dicks arrive.

Poor old York. I've always wanted to visit

Well just go then lass, the yourshire folk won't be bight 'ee!

It's a lovely city is olde Eboracum, theres the Minster, Viking museam and other attactions like the shambles but if you've got young children the Railway muesem is a superb place really is.

My ex and nippers when there she thought it would be boring full of old junk trains she changed her mind when she was looking in Queen Victoria's state coach, and thought the whole place was an excellent history lesson:)

They've got the orignal stephensons rocket, the Mallard which set the world record for steam and some locos like the earlty southern railway ones are works of art!

And furthermore we bullt most all of them its only the early Eurostar there which was built abroad!