Top UK Hen-Do Destinations for 2025

Before the big day, many UK brides have one tradition they won’t skip: the hen-do. The term hen-do has become a popular way to describe the bride-to-be and her closest friends celebrating her final moments of unmarried life.

Traditionally, a hen-do is filled with fun activities, games, food, drinks and plenty of partying. And for many the perfect hen-do means skipping the bride’s hometown and travelling somewhere new for a sense of adventure. Fortunately, there are plenty of UK cities to choose from to make the most of the special occasion.

The owners of Alcotraz prison cocktail bar and its parent company Inventive Productions, set out to find the best cities for hen-dos in 2025 using data-led research.

The new league table ranks 25 UK cities from best (1) to worst (25) based on six different ranking factors such as affordability, to variety of hen-night activities on offer.

Here are the top 10 best UK hen-do destinations:

The Top UK Hen-Do Destinations for 2025

1. Aberdeen
2. Blackpool 
3. Cardiff 
4. York 
5. Liverpool 
6. Coventry 
7. Swansea 
8. Edinburgh 
9. Leicester 
10. Brighton

How We Ranked the Best Hen Do Hotspots

Each city was scored in all six categories, with rankings from 1 (most favourable, e.g., cheapest or safest) to 25 (least favourable). The final score for each city was calculated by adding its rankings across all categories; the lower the total score, the higher the city’s position in the overall hen-do league table.

Top Hen-Do Locations League Table

 

Nightlife Venues

City	Population	No. of nightlife venues	No. of late night venues per 100.000 people	No. of venues per 100.000 – Ranking	No. of late night venues – data sources
Aberdeen	224,190	57	25.43	7	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186487-Activities-c20-oa30-Aberdeen_Aberdeenshire_Scotland.html
Belfast	497,920	94	18.88	14	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186470-Activities-c20-Belfast_Northern_Ireland.html
Birmingham	2,420,234	179	7.4	25	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186402-Activities-c20-Birmingham_West_Midlands_England.html
Blackpool	226,554	108	47.66	1	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186332-Activities-c20-Blackpool_Lancashire_England.html
Bournemouth	404,050	57	14.11	19	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186262-Activities-c20-Bournemouth_Dorset_England.html
Brighton	344,324	148	42.97	3	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186273-Activities-c20-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html
Bristol	782,437	158	20.19	13	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186220-Activities-c20-Bristol_England.html
Cardiff	383,536	86	22.42	10	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186460-Activities-c20-Cardiff_South_Wales_Wales.html
Coventry	360,702	36	9.98	23	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186403-Activities-c20-Coventry_West_Midlands_England.html
Edinburgh	514,990	244	47.38	2	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186525-Activities-c20-Edinburgh_Scotland.html
Glasgow	1,013,300	206	20.34	12	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186534-Activities-c20-Glasgow_Scotland.html
Leeds	829,413	200	24.11	9	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186411-Activities-c20-Leeds_West_Yorkshire_England.html
Leicester	544,681	79	14.51	18	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186334-Activities-c20-Leicester_Leicestershire_England.html
Liverpool	662,983	258	38.92	4	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186337-Activities-c20-Liverpool_Merseyside_England.html
London	10,239,164	1,439	14.05	20	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186338-Activities-c20-London_England.html
Manchester	2,609,459	259	9.92	24	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g187069-Activities-c20-Manchester_Greater_Manchester_England.html
Newcastle	872,154	160	18.34	16	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186394-Activities-c20-Newcastle_upon_Tyne_Tyne_and_Wear_England.html
Northampton	434,349	139	31.99	5	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186356-Activities-c20-Nottingham_Nottinghamshire_England.html
Norwich	281,156	69	24.55	8	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186342-Activities-c20-Norwich_Norfolk_East_Anglia_England.html
Nottingham	674,855	139	20.59	11	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186356-Activities-c20-Nottingham_Nottinghamshire_England.html
Portsmouth	532,519	68	12.77	21	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186298-Activities-c20-Portsmouth_Hampshire_England.html
Reading	362,066	38	10.49	22	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186363-Activities-c20-Reading_Berkshire_England.html
Sheffield	844,447	140	16.58	17	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186364-Activities-c20-Sheffield_South_Yorkshire_England.html
Swansea	389,640	72	18.47	15	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186466-Activities-c20-Swansea_Swansea_County_South_Wales_Wales.html
York	206,780	66	31.93	6	https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186346-Activities-c20-York_North_Yorkshire_England.html

 

 

 

Hen Do Activities

City	No. of hen activities	No. of hen activities per 100,000	No. of hen activities – Ranking	No. of hen activities – Data Source
Aberdeen	88	39	7	https://www.funktionevents.co.uk/hen-party/aberdeen
Belfast	88	18	16	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/belfast/
Birmingham	150	6	22	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/birmingham/
Blackpool	84	37	6	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/blackpool/
Bournemouth	156	38	5	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/bournemouth/
Brighton	126	37	6	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-weekends/brighton/
Bristol	170	22	11	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-weekends/bristol/
Cardiff	161	42	2	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-weekends/cardiff/
Coventry	79	22	11	https://thestagandhenexperience.com/location/hen/coventry/
Edinburgh	175	34	8	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/edinburgh/
Glasgow	136	13	20	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/glasgow/
Leeds	150	18	16	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/leeds/
Leicester	108	20	14	https://www.funktionevents.co.uk/hen-party/leicester
Liverpool	191	29	9	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/liverpool/
London	170	2	23	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/london/
Manchester	164	6	22	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/manchester/
Newcastle	195	22	11	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/newcastle/
Northampton	52	12	21	https://www.funktionevents.co.uk/hen-party/northampton
Norwich	101	36	10	https://www.funktionevents.co.uk/hen-party/norwich
Nottingham	163	24	10	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/nottingham/
Portsmouth	107	20	14	https://www.funktionevents.co.uk/hen-party/portsmouth
Reading	110	30	8	https://www.funktionevents.co.uk/hen-party/reading
Sheffield	120	14	19	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/sheffield/
Swansea	97	25	9	https://www.funktionevents.co.uk/hen-party/swansea
York	138	67	1	https://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/hen-activities/york/

 

 

 

Cocktail Prices

City	Average cost of a cocktail	Average cost of cocktail – ranking	Average cost of a cocktail – Data Source
Aberdeen	£7	1	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/aberdeen
Belfast	£10	14	To calculate the average cocktail price in Belfast, we selected three bars – one high-end, one mid-range, and one more affordable venue. We then recorded the standard cocktail price from each and calculated the average to provide a representative snapshot of local pricing.
Birmingham	£9	11	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/birmingham-united-kingdom
Blackpool	£8	5	To calculate the average cocktail price in Blackpool, we selected three bars – one high-end, one mid-range, and one more affordable venue. We then recorded the standard cocktail price from each and calculated the average to provide a representative snapshot of local pricing.
Bournemouth	£12	23	To calculate the average cocktail price in Bournemouth, we selected three bars – one high-end, one mid-range, and one more affordable venue. We then recorded the standard cocktail price from each and calculated the average to provide a representative snapshot of local pricing.
Brighton	£10	14	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/brighton-and-hove
Bristol	£16	25	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/bristol
Cardiff	£8	5	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/cardiff
Coventry	£8	5	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/coventry
Edinburgh	£10	14	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/edinburgh
Glasgow	£11	22	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/glasgow
Leeds	£9	11	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/leeds
Leicester	£8	5	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/leicester
Liverpool	£10	14	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/liverpool
London	£13	24	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/london
Manchester	£10	14	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/manchester
Newcastle	£10	14	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/newcastle-upon-tyne
Northampton	£7	1	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/northampton
Norwich	£10	14	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/norwich
Nottingham	£10	14	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/nottingham
Portsmouth	£7	1	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/portsmouth
Reading	£8	5	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/reading-berkshire
Sheffield	£9	11	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/sheffield
Swansea	£7	1	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/swansea
York	£8	5	https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/york

 

 

 

Accommodation

City	Median price of cheap hotel	Average hotel cost – ranking	Average hotel cost – data source
Aberdeen	£84	11	https://www.booking.com/
Belfast	£121	15
Birmingham	£57	4
Blackpool	£55	3
Bournemouth	£145	21
Brighton	£190.5	25
Bristol	£71	7
Cardiff	£71	7
Coventry	£68	6
Edinburgh	£167	22
Glasgow	£137	19
Leeds	£190	24
Leicester	£75	9
Liverpool	£107.50	13
London	£67	5
Manchester	£52	2
Newcastle	£140	20
Northampton	£116	14
Norwich	£123.5	17
Nottingham	£51.00	1
Portsmouth	£138	18
Reading	£80	10
Sheffield	£104	12
Swansea	£122.50	16
York	£168	23

 

 

 

Taxi Fare

City	Local taxi fare cost (per km)	Taxi fare cost – ranking (high number = good)	Taxi fare cost – Data source
Aberdeen	£1.49	6	https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/
Belfast	£1.68	9
Birmingham	£1.19	4
Blackpool	£1.62	10
Bournemouth	£1.78	13
Brighton	£1.72	12
Bristol	£1.31	5
Cardiff	£2.00	15
Coventry	£1.50	7
Edinburgh	£2.43	20
Glasgow	£1.83	14
Leeds	£1.62	10
Leicester	£1.00	2
Liverpool	£1.06	3
London	£2.60	22
Manchester	£2.30	18
Newcastle	£1.53	8
Northampton	£2.30	18
Norwich	£3.11	24
Nottingham	£4.00	25
Portsmouth	£2.50	21
Reading	£3.39	23
Sheffield	£0.99	1
Swansea	£2.00	15
York	£2.00	15

 

 

 

Safety

City	Crimes per 1,000 people	Safety score	Crimes per 1,000 – Data source
Aberdeen	62,7	4	https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/
Belfast	96	6
Birmingham	121.44	18
Blackpool	156.07	24
Bournemouth	100.25	8
Brighton	101.99	9
Bristol	134.77	22
Cardiff	107.77	11
Coventry	99.72	7
Edinburgh	30.99	1
Glasgow	81.2	5
Leeds	130.45	21
Leicester	128.46	20
Liverpool	127.44	19
London	359.34	25
Manchester	164.23	23
Newcastle	121.03	17
Northampton	109.09	13
Norwich	115.12	15
Nottingham	117.49	16
Portsmouth	113.93	14
Reading	108.73	12
Sheffield	102.13	10
Swansea	79.59	3
York	70.88	2

 

 

 

The Final Leaderboard

City	Total Sum	Final score
Aberdeen	36	1
Blackpool	49	2
Cardiff	50	3
York	52	4
Liverpool	62	5
Coventry	59	6 (tie)
Swansea	59	6 (tie)
Edinburgh	67	8
Leicester	68	9
Brighton	69	10
Sheffield	70	11
Northampton	72	12
Belfast	74	13
Nottingham	77	14
Reading	80	15
Bristol	83	16
Birmingham	84	17
Newcastle	86	18
Bournemouth	89	19 (tie)
Portsmouth	89	19 (tie)
Norwich	88	21
Leeds	91	22
Glasgow	92	23
Manchester	103	24
London	119	25

Inventive Productions Immersive Hen Experiences

For an unforgettable hen night, Inventive Productions offers unique, theatrical cocktail bars like Alcotraz, where guests don orange jumpsuits and enjoy cocktails smuggled past the warden. Perfect for groups who want more than just a standard night out.

📍 Find your nearest Alcotraz venue and book here

Final Word

Whether you’re after cocktails by the beach, city nightlife, or quirky immersive fun, the UK has a hen-do destination to suit every style. With our data in hand, you can plan the perfect send-off, and make it a night to remember.