Where are they going? What are they doing? How much are they spending?
Discover all the latest hen party statistics below from GoHen.com – the UK’s leading hen providers since 2002.
From the average cost of a hen do to the average party size, we’ve dissected the data from another year of bachelorette bashes to bring you all the numbers and trends you need to know.
The Highlights✨
Looking Back… 2023 Stats
- Most Popular UK Destination 2023 – Bath
- Most Popular European Destination 2023 – Marbella
- UK/Europe Split – 70% UK / 30% Europe
- Average Cost of a Hen Do 2023 – £178
- Average Cost of a Hen Do UK 2023 – £174
- Average Cost of Hen Party Abroad – £199
- Average Hen Do Group Size 2023 – 13
- How Far in Advance Do Hens Book – 179 Days (6 Months)
Looking Ahead… 2024 Stats
- Most Popular UK Destination 2024 – Bath
- Most Popular European Destination 2024 – Benidorm
- UK/Europe Split – 67% UK / 33% Europe
Most Popular Destinations
2023
- Bath
- Bristol
- Liverpool
- Brighton
- Marbella
- Manchester
- Benidorm
- Edinburgh
- Barcelona
- Albufeira
2024
- Bath
- Liverpool
- Bristol
- Brighton
- Benidorm
- Marbella
- Dublin
- Albufeira
- Edinburgh
- Cardiff
1 in 3 Hens Heading Abroad in 2024!📍
From 2022 to 2023, there was a big shift towards hen weekends abroad and that trend looks set to grow even more in 2024, with a third of all groups heading to Europe for some fun in the sun.
- 2022 – The pandemic was still hanging over us at the start of 2022, so the vast majority of groups chose a UK stay.
- 2023 – There was a big boost in European celebrations, with hens flocking to Spain and Portugal to top up those wedding tans.
- 2024 – Spain and Portugal are still the destinations of choice as trips to central and eastern Europe become less popular.
- Bath – GoHen’s hometown of Bath was the most popular destination for 2023 and that looks set to continue into 2024.
“From the Thermae Spa to the cocktails bars, Bath is the complete hen city,” said Jamie Birleson, GoHen’s Bath specialist.
“It’s got that touch of class that every hen party wants as well as plenty of places to start the party.”
Find out why a Bath hen party is the no.1 choice for hens.
Benidorm – Last year Marbella was the number-one destination in Europe, but it’s its bigger, bolder brother is set to be the go-to town for the bride’s pre-wedding bash in 2024.
“Benidorm is the ultimate party destination,” said GoHen’s Benidorm specialist, Simon Old.
“It has the beaches, it has the bars and it has a range of incredible hen activities that are waiting to be conquered.”
See why a Benidorm hen do is now the most popular choice for hens heading abroad.
UK vs Europe 2022/2023/2024🥂
2022
UK vs Europe Split: 79% / 21%
- UK – 79%
- Spain – 12%
- Ireland – 3%
- Portugal – 2%
- Other – 4%
2023
UK vs Europe Split: 70% / 30%
- UK – 70%
- Spain – 19%
- Portugal – 5%
- Ireland – 3%
- Other – 3%
2024
UK vs Europe Split: 67% / 33%
- UK – 67%
- Spain – 20%
- Portugal – 6%
- Ireland – 4%
- Other – 3%
Sun is the number one priority for hens heading abroad, with 79% of those going away hitting up Spain or Portugal.
However, the vast majority of hens are still looking at a UK celebration.
“This year, more stags are looking at going abroad than staying in the UK, whereas it’s the opposite for hens,” said Ellie Silk, Head of Events.
“Hens are happy booking a nice house with a hot tub and heading into a city like Bath for cocktails and a big night out, whereas stags prefer to jump on a plane and head somewhere new.”
Average Hen Do Cost💸
Average Hen Do Cost (UK & Abroad)
- 2013 – £99
- 2014 – £114
- 2015 – £121
- 2016 – £123
- 2017 – £139
- 2018 – £151
- 2020 – COVID
- 2021 – COVID
- 2022 – £157
- 2023 – £178
Average Cost of a Hen Do UK 2023 – £174
Average Cost of a Hen Party Ireland 2023 – £202
Average Cost of a Hen Do Abroad 2023 – £199
*Cost includes accommodation, activities, and nightlife. It does not include transport or extras like food and drink, fancy dress, etc.
As with everything this year, the cost of a hen do rose by 13% to £178 from £157 in 2022.
This stat includes activities, accommodation, and nightlife (club entry, drinks packages, dinner options, etc.), but doesn’t include travel costs (flights, trains, petrol), nor does it cover extra drinks, meals, etc.
This completely debunks the claims from an insurance company that the average cost of attending a hen do is £799 in the UK or £1,208 if they go abroad.
“There’s no way the figures in that report are right,” said Jamie Birleson, Head of Sales at GoHen.com.
“For hen parties abroad, they have the accommodation and activity costs at more than double our stats, and that doesn’t even include nightlife add-ons.
“People love to sensationalise the cost of hen weekends because it makes a good clickbait story, but it’s definitely not as expensive as they’re making out.”
Average Hen Party Size 2023💍
- 2013 – 12
- 2014 – 12
- 2015 – 12
- 2016 – 13
- 2017 – 13
- 2018 – 13
- 2019 – 13
- 2020 – COVID
- 2021 – COVID
- 2022 – 13
- 2023 – 13
- 2024 – 16
💃🏻 Smallest Hen Party Size 2023: 4
💃🏻 Biggest Hen Party Size 2023: 38
💃🏻 Average Hen Party Size 2023: 13
💃🏻 Average Hen Party Size 2024: 16
The average hen party size for 2023 was 13 people.
Next year, the average size looks set to jump up for the first time since 2016, though, according to GoHen’s Head of Events, this isn’t a true reflection of the reality.
“It’s amazing how consistent the group sizes are year-on-year,” said Ellie Silk.
“As it stands, next year looks like it’s going to be a bumper year, but we often find that at least two or three people drop out closer to the time, so we’d expect the average party size to fall to around 13 or 14 next year.”
This year, we had a few groups of four head out for some low-key weekends, whilst a huge group of 38 hens headed to Bristol for a monumental celebration.
The biggest group to head abroad were 31 hens who jumped on a plane and made the short flight across to Dublin.
Most Popular Activities 2023 & 2024🎉
2023
- Cocktail Mixing
- Bottomless Brunch
- Male Strip Show
- Butler in the Buff
- Life Drawing
- Spa Pass
- Afternoon Tea
- Escape Room
- Bar Crawl
- Karaoke
2024
- Cocktail Mixing
- Bottomless Brunch
- Male Strip Show
- Spa Pass
- Butler in the Buff
- Life Drawing
- Bar Crawl
- Afternoon Tea
- Alcotraz Prison Cocktail Experience
- Karaoke
Most Popular Month for a Hen Do 2023👑
Percentage of Groups Going Out Each Month in 2023
- January – 1%
- February – 6%
- March – 9%
- April – 17%
- May – 14%
- June – 15%
- July – 13%
- August – 8%
- September 9%
- October – 5%
- November – 2%
- December – 1%
April was the most popular month for hen parties in 2023 with May and June just behind.
The winter months were the least popular with just 4% of groups heading out between November and January.
“April through to about July has always been peak hen party season,” said Jon Stainer, Creative Director of GoHen.com.
“With the majority of weddings taking place in the summer, people will be heading out at least a few months before just to give themselves a bit of time to recover for the big day.”
GoHen’s Head of Events, Ellie Silk, added: “April, May and June is the perfect time to go on a hen do because the weather is starting to pick up, plus you don’t get stung by the school holiday price rises.”
Who Plans the Weekend?🎀
2023
- Maid of Honour – 46%
- Bridesmaid – 29%
- Bride – 17%
- Other – 8%
Nearly half of all hen weekends are planned by the Maid of Honour, whilst three-quarters are organised by them or the bridesmaids.
‘Other’ includes people like the mother of the bride, specialist planners, etc.
“Unsurprisingly, the majority of hen weekends are planned by the bridesmaids and maid of honours, but in recent years we’ve seen a rise in brides taking control of their own celebrations,” said Head of Sales, Jamie Birleson.
“We actually saw a two per cent rise in brides planning their hens from 2022, which may not sound like many, but it’s actually a significant portion.”
Hens More Organised than Stags😍
How Far in Advance People Booked Their Weekends 2023 – Hens vs. Stags
- Hens – 179 days (6 months)
- Stags – 122 days (4 months)
Living up to the stereotype, it’s hens that are (a lot) more organised than the stags booking two months further in advance.
“We get a lot of best men ringing up our stag do organisers to sort their weekends and they mention their partners are also booking their hen with us, but it turns out the hens were sorted months ago,” said Jamie Birleson, Head of Sales.
“Stags have always been last-minute. We’ve been in the business for over twenty years and that’s not changed one bit since 2002.”
Trending Hen Stories in 2023👀
Trending Hen Stories in 2023
- Amsterdam Hen Party Dad – There was a story doing the rounds in October of a rather horrifying incident that supposedly occurred when a hen and stag group went to Amsterdam. If you know, you know.
- Olivia Attwood Hen Do – Olivia Attwood’s hen do also made a splash in the papers with the former Love Island contestant and Only Way is Essex star heading to Ibiza ahead of her marriage to footballer Bradley Dack.
- Henpocalypse – A hilarious new comedy dropped on the BBC last August, where a group of hens enjoying a weekend in Wales came face-to-face with the end of the world.
Booking A Hen Do?🙋♀️
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Send your super speedy hen enquiry today and we’ll get to work building you an unforgettable weekend.
