YORK is facing a ‘stag party drought’ – with hens outnumbering bachelors by seven-to-one, says one firm.
According to Last Night of Freedom, which helps organise stag and hen dos, the city has enjoyed a stag and hen boom since the pandemic, with bookings to York almost doubling last year.
But the firm says booking data shows that while hens are flocking here in their droves, stags are largely staying away.
The boss of the Tyneside company, Matt Mavir, said: “Brides love York, but the data suggests it is a bit of a stag party ghost town.
“It seems strange because York has something for everyone but it is predominately a hen haven.”
He said that this weekend, around one in every 14 hen parties held in the whole of Europe will be staged in York.
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And the late-winter boom will inject around £200,000 into the city’s coffers – a figure that will balloon come the summer party peak.
However, only seven different stag parties are expected to visit – fewer than Galway and half as many as Birmingham.
“Some places like Prague are built for stags, and some – like Valencia – are clearly more appealing to hens,” said Mr Mavir.
“But there’s a definite stag party drought in York and I find it all a bit baffling. There is tons to do, loads of history and the nightlife is second to none so there’s plenty of fun to be had.
“But the good news is the hen party sector is absolutely thriving. We are expecting dozens of groups there this weekend, and with each one worth around £5,000 to the city, York’s bars and hotels should a bumper weekend – especially since we are still months away from the peak party period.”
York Central MP, Rachael Maskell, has accused the firm of 'wanting to make profit out of the misery' of people living in the city and said that if Mr Mavir lived anywhere near York, he would clearly hear the concerns that residents have across the city with the prevalence of groups drinking in the city, including those here for stag and hen weekends.
Back in August Ms Maskell said: “With the sharp rise in ‘airbnb’ holiday-lets across the city, residents report how city centre drunken behaviour is then taken into their neighbourhoods.
"It is also impacting on businesses as people are no longer going into York, and parents consistently tell me that they will not expose their children to such scenes whereas visitors tell me they will not be back until something is done.
“The night time economy is running out of control, with York being marked out as the UK’s capital of hen parties.
"We need to put it to a stop, place the needs of residents first and return our city to the people of York.”
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