Stag do in Birmingham

Ten-pin bowling for groups is easiest in the Bullring, right in the centre, where lanes are reserved for you and a welcome drink is included. Each player gets roughly a ten-minute turn rather than a full game, which keeps a large group moving. Groups of six to 28 can be handled in one booking, and it is over-18s only. Being central, it fits as a short first stop before dinner or a Broad Street night, with no transport to arrange.

Birmingham sessions are usually played at a five-a-side centre on Lichfield Road, north-east of the centre, though the exact pitch is often confirmed only two weeks before. Arrive 15 minutes early for the hour. Bubbles take players up to 6ft 5in and 22 stone. Trainers and a T-shirt only: no football boots and no bare chests. Groups of 20 or more usually get an extra half hour of games. Pitches are outdoor 3G, so bring a warm layer in winter and book it before the evening rather than after.

Dodgeball runs at an indoor sports centre at Marsh Hill in the north of the city, though some sessions move to an outdoor 3G pitch, so check which you have. Sessions last an hour, are over-18s only and mix classic dodgeball with variations. Groups of 20 or more usually get an extra half hour. For a wet day, a 90-minute challenge game inspired by a well-known TV panel show runs in a private room at a city-centre bar, with props supplied and no kit to change into.

Most football formats run at a five-a-side centre on Lichfield Road, north-east of the centre: football darts, electric-shock football for up to 20 and a filmed five-a-side with player stats on an outdoor pitch. Sessions are an hour, or two for the filmed match. Footgolf is played on a golf course in Harborne, west of the centre, and takes two to four hours depending on group size; the venue is confirmed about two weeks before. Studs are refused, and fancy golf outfits are encouraged.

In Birmingham the games are usually run at a five-a-side centre on Lichfield Road, north-east of the centre, with the exact venue often confirmed two weeks out. The most popular stag format is a two-hour bundle where you pick two events, from old-school sports day to dodgeball and goggle football. Sports day runs an hour for up to 32 people and 90 minutes beyond that. A ten-over cricket version plays on a 3G pitch or indoors, though indoor is not guaranteed. Bring water and trainers.

Birmingham's brunch venues are spread between Broad Street, the arcades by New Street station and Temple Street, with a quieter option out in Harborne, west of the centre. The usual format is 90 minutes of free-flowing drinks inside a two-hour table booking. Weekend sittings commonly start at midday, 2pm or 4pm. Expect to pre-order food for a large group, and some venues want choices a week ahead. A few seat you at shared tables, so ask for a reserved area, and one refuses sports trainers, so pack proper shoes.

Classes run in bars on Broad Street, Temple Street, the Piccadilly Arcade by New Street and the waterside at Brindleyplace, plus one out in Harborne. Most last 90 minutes to two hours: a welcome drink, two cocktails each and a round of shots to finish. Bring photo ID, because several venues check it. Saturday slots run from around midday into the evening, with Friday afternoon and evening sessions at some bars. One venue makes the whole group choose the same two cocktails, so agree the order before you arrive.

Group dining in Birmingham works best close to where the night goes next: the canalside around Brindleyplace and Broad Street, or John Bright Street, a few minutes' walk from New Street station. Reserved tables are standard, and larger groups are usually asked to pre-order. Sharing formats such as pizza with a cider tasting board keep a big table simple and quick. If the night is on Broad Street, eat on that side of the centre and walk on rather than crossing town.

Birmingham's games bars sit at Five Ways at the top of Broad Street, on Victoria Square, on Heath Mill Lane in Digbeth and inside the Bullring. The common stag format is two hours with two games chosen from pool, shuffleboard, electronic darts, beer pong, karaoke and axe throwing, plus two drinks each and a host. Daytime slots run hourly from midday to 6pm at the bigger venues. Table-gaming packages suit groups of eight to twenty. Axe throwing usually carries a supplement, so check it is included before you choose it.

Most of Birmingham's late venues sit on or just off Broad Street, with a second cluster around Temple Street in the centre. Guest-list entry usually has to be used before 11pm, and a couple of bars close the list at 10pm, so plan dinner to finish in time. Smart casual is the standard door code. Table and booth packages cap at around 20 people, and the reserved area is a base rather than a seat for everyone, so a big group books two. The busiest Broad Street bars trade until 3am at weekends.

Birmingham's main comedy club runs a fresh line-up every night with acts from the national circuit. Entry is from 6.45pm, seats are reserved and the show runs about two hours 45 minutes, so eat beforehand or book a late table. Some packages include a drink each. For something built around the stag, a comedian can host an hour-long mock courtroom roast in a hired room, using stories you send in advance. Send them early, because the roast is only as good as the material.

Guided crawls in Birmingham start in the centre around Temple Street at 7pm and finish at 11pm, taking in three or four bars and ending with club entry. Photo ID is essential, fancy dress is refused and doors turn away anyone who has had too much. If you would rather go without a guide, self-led routes start on Bromsgrove Street and the itinerary arrives a week before, with four or five bars a night. Nightlife passes cover Friday and Saturday from 9pm.

Private karaoke rooms in Birmingham are central: around Victoria Square, on Broad Street and at Five Ways, about 20 minutes' walk from New Street. Rooms are booked by the hour, typically for eight to twenty people with a couple of drinks each. The Broad Street option runs two-hour sessions with an hour of free-flowing prosecco, on Friday and Saturday only. Smart casual works everywhere. Book the room for early evening and walk on to Broad Street afterwards, so nobody needs a taxi between stops.

Circus and aerial sessions in Birmingham are run by instructors who travel across the Midlands, so you provide the space: a function room, a hall or a large rental house. They can source a venue at extra cost. Ground skills such as juggling, stilts and unicycles take about 90 minutes and suit groups of ten upwards. Aerial hoop and trapeze need a room with rigging points and cap at about 20. Wear gym clothes, nothing shiny or slippery, and book it before anyone has started drinking.

The main escape-room cluster is on Constitution Hill, just north of the centre, with rooms built around the city's 1920s gangster history alongside the usual heist and horror themes. Games last 60 minutes, and a big group is split across several rooms running at the same time. Book at least seven days ahead for a weekend slot, and expect no refunds on cancellation. For something outdoors, a ranger-led jungle-style escape course runs about 30 minutes by taxi from the centre, with helmets, gloves and glasses supplied.

Most murder mysteries in Birmingham are run by actors who come to you, so the group provides the room: a private dining room, a function room or the house you are staying in. Two actors is standard, and the evening runs one and a half to four hours depending on the format and whether you eat. A 90-minute comedy version with the venue included is also available, as is a hosted traitor-style game in a private room. Food is not normally included, so book dinner first and build the mystery around it.