Boozy hen weekends are a thing of the past

Goodbye Jack Daniels, hello Harry Potter! There's been a decrease in boozy activities with modern hens opting for TV/movie-themed hen weekends. Harry Potter-themed hen weekends are big in 2019, and fantasy/sci-fi hen weekends are on the rise.

Leading hen party providers, GoHen, have conducted a study into the behaviour of hen parties and have found hen parties are ditching booze and heading outdoors instead.

Girls in veils and sashes tumbling out of the nearest wine lodge while clutching a bottle of alco-pop might have been acceptable to their parents in the early '90s but nearly 30 years later millennial brides have swapped binge drinking for adventure hunting.

According to medical journal The Lancet, British drinking habits have fallen by 1.2 litres per person since 1990*. Indeed, The Alcohol Information Partnership said the study showed more people in the UK are 'now drinking responsibly than harmfully'. Drinking-based hen do activities have fallen by 55% since 2015, nudity-based hen do activities have fallen by 39% since 2015.

Rather than drinking, hens are increasingly choosing TV and movie-themed hen weekends. Harry Potter is a huge hit with this year's brides, many of whom read the books when they were first published in the '90s. Today those fans of Harry and Hermione are heading on location tours, studio tours, playing quidditch, or attempting wizard themed escape rooms.

Other popular fantasy/sci-fi pre-wedding activities are based on;

• Game of Thrones
• Zombie Boot Camp (The Walking Dead)
• Westworld
• Ghost Hunting

Other hit shows to inspire themed hen weekends include;

• Strictly Come Dancing - Ballroom dancing lessons
• Dancing on Ice - Ice skating lessons
• Hen Do Bake Off - A tribute to the hit show
• Friends - A New York hen weekend of the show's iconic locations
• Dirty Dancing - Dance class because nobody puts the bride in a corner
• Downton Abbey - The hens become maids and their servants
• I'm a Bride-to-be Get Me Out of Here

But it really is all about the big outdoors for many hens with outdoor activities all on the increase;

• Glamping Hen-Fest - A private mini music festival
• Axe Throwing
• Bushcraft Survival
• Giant Inflatable Games

GoHen's managing director, Steve Roddy, said, "Hen weekends have totally evolved in keeping with modern trends, we're finding more and more that pre-wedding parties are about adventure and trying something new and a far cry from the sash wearing hen parties of the '90s."

For more hen do inspiration check out GoHen