Hen Party Statistics & Hen Do Industry
Trends 2023/2024
You are welcome to use any data from this article but please reference Nude Life (linked) when doing so – thanks!
Nude Life is the world’s largest provider of life drawing events for hen parties. As we enter 2024, this report reflects on a turbulent few years for the industry and looks forward to what the future holds.
This data is based on 5,554 enquiries from 2023. Our booking data, combined with search trends from advanced technology, outlines that the industry experienced a post-pandemic boom. The sector experienced its busiest year after the pandemic had put much of the events industry on hold.
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS:
Search trends for hen party terms
Most popular locations
Most popular activities
The most popular weekend
The most popular group size
Most popular bride name
Most popular maid of honour name
HEADLINE HEN PARTY STATISTICS:
The average hen do now costs each hen an average of £249 in 2022 – that’s 61% more than a decade ago.
The most popular hen party location in 2022 was London (11.75%), followed by Brighton (10.12%).
The most popular month to book a hen party is January, and demand declines month after month.
The most popular hen party activity is life drawing (1,000 searches a month) which is twice as popular as afternoon tea (480 searches a month).
The most popular hen party weekend of 2022 was 7th August. April was the busiest month.
The most popular hen party group sizes were 20 (14.2%) and 10 (13.49%).
The most popular bride and maid of honour name was Emma (106 brides and 120 maids of honour). Hannah (105) was the second most popular bride’s name, followed by Sarah (91).
Liverpool was the eighth most popular hen party location in 2022
Find cheap hen do ideas >
Search trends for hen party terms
When analysing the most popular keywords surrounding the root keyword’ hen party’, we can see that ‘hen party games’ is the most popular search term, followed by ‘hen party ideas’ (18,100) and ‘hen party accessories’ (12,100).
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume |
|---|---|
| hen party games | 22,200 |
| hen party ideas | 18,100 |
| hen party accessories | 12,100 |
| hen party sashes | 4,400 |
| hen party balloons | 2,400 |
| hen party packages | 1,900 |
‘HEN PARTY IDEAS’ SEARCH TRENDS
Over the last five years, January has been consistently the busiest month for ‘hen party idea’s’ searches from 2018 – 2022. But, January 2022 did not experience the same highs as pre-pandemic demand, seeing around a 25% drop in overall searches – will we see a return to pre-pandemic searches now COVID is less of a worry to the general public?
Searches for ‘hen party ideas’ 2018-2022
There is a drastic pandemic-related reduction in hen party searches from March 2020 to December 2021, outlining how impactful COVID was on the industry. Hen party-related searches only reached half the previous highs (53%) in July 2021, when restrictions were lifted, and the maid of honours seemingly planning for a COVID-free 2023.
The most popular hen do locations
The pandemic has caused a shift in the top 20 locations, with over 90% of hens now favouring a UK hen do. London (11.75%) is the most popular location amongst hens, closely followed by Brighton (10.12%). Both areas are favoured by some way, with Bath being the third most popular hen-do location (6.96%). Manchester (5.25%) and, surprisingly, Belfast (3.94%) complete the top 5. It’s no surprise they are all top cities for nightlife.
Rounding off the top 10 most popular hen do locations for hens are York (3.56%), Edinburgh (3.54%), Liverpool (2.83%), Bristol(2.69%)and Cardiff (2.67%).
| Location | % of Total |
|---|---|
| London | 11.75% |
| Brighton | 10.12% |
| Bath | 6.96% |
| Manchester | 5.25% |
| Belfast | 3.94% |
| York | 3.56% |
| Edinburgh | 3.54% |
| Liverpool | 2.83% |
| Bristol | 2.69% |
| Cardiff | 2.67% |
| Leeds | 2.28% |
| Dublin | 2.15% |
| Cambridge | 1.77% |
| Newcastle | 1.71% |
| Birmingham | 1.66% |
| Bournemouth | 1.25% |
| Chester | 1.14% |
| Norwich | 1.03% |
| Blackpool | 0.98% |
See the best hen do locations for 2023 >
The most popular hen do activities
Unsurprisingly, life drawing is the most popular hen party activity going into 2023, with over 1,000 searches a month. Its growing popularity has likely been influenced by the activity being thrust into the limelight in media, such as the very popular Bridgerton, which was bursting with references to life drawing.
The following most popular activities are afternoon tea (480), attending a festival for the hen party (480) (great idea, right?) and boat trips (260). Spa days round of the top 5 (260), a new entrant to the top 10, and gaining popularity are murder mysteries (260).
| Activity | Monthly Searches |
|---|---|
| Life Drawing | 1,000 |
| Afternoon Tea | 480 |
| Hen Party Festival | 480 |
| Boat Trip | 260 |
| Spa Day | 260 |
| Murder Mystery | 210 |
| Cocktail Making | 170 |
| Escape Games | 150 |
| Sports Day | 70 |
| Inflatable Games | 10 |
See classy hen party ideas >
The most popular weekend for hen dos
What was the most popular hen party weekend in 2022? Surprisingly, the 7th of August, with 183 events, was the most popular hen party weekend in 2022. This is surprising because, generally speaking, a hen comes before the wedding, and most weddings are in the summer. But, this may explain why the most Googled hen party-related question of 2022 was “hen do after the wedding” – possibly a new trend for the industry going forward?
As you would expect, the second to fifth most popular weekends are dominated by Spring 2022, with April holding three weekends (9th, 2nd and 30th) and May completing the top 5 (21st).
The next most popular weekends and completing the top 10 are 14th May, 23rd May, 2nd July, 9th July and 18th June.
Most popular hen party weekends 2022
The best hen party ideas for all ages >
The most popular hen party group size
The most popular group size for hen parties is ten hens (14.20%), closely followed by twenty hens (13.49%). Although it is worth noting that hen parties are generally subject to change during the booking process due to drop-outs, illnesses, or in extreme circumstances – falling out with the bride.
Fifteen hens attending the hen party is the third most popular number attending (12.98%), and rounding up the top five are 12 hens (12,45%) and 14 hens (10.10%).
Nearly half of all parties fall between 10-15 hens (49%), and the most popular large hen party numbers are 25 hens (2.93%) and 30 hens (2.39%).
| Number of hens | % of Total |
|---|---|
| 10 | 14.20% |
| 20 | 13.49% |
| 15 | 12.98% |
| 12 | 12.45% |
| 14 | 10.10% |
| 16 | 9.11% |
| 18 | 8.17% |
| 13 | 7.30% |
| 8 | 6.68% |
| 11 | 5.53% |
The best UK hen party houses >
The most popular bride name
Below you’ll find the 20 most popular brides’ names from 2022. The most popular bride name in 2022 was Emma (106), closely followed by Hannah (105). Rounding off the top 5 was Sarah (91), Laura (89) and Amy (83).
| Brides Name | Number of hen parties |
|---|---|
| Emma | 106 |
| Hannah | 105 |
| Sarah | 91 |
| Laura | 89 |
| Amy | 83 |
| Sophie | 71 |
| Katie | 70 |
| Charlotte | 69 |
| Jess | 67 |
| Emily | 65 |
| Lauren | 59 |
| Rachel | 58 |
| Lucy | 56 |
| Chloe | 53 |
| Becky | 48 |
| Claire | 46 |
| Kate | 44 |
| Beth | 40 |
| Alice | 36 |
The best hen do outfits >
The most popular maid of honour name
Below you’ll find the 20 most popular maid of honours names from 2022. The most popular maid of honour name was the same as the most popular bride’s name in 2022 – Emma (120) but also tieing with Laura (120). Rounding off the top five names were Sarah (117), Hannah (112) and Katie (106).
| Maid of Honor | % of Total |
|---|---|
| Emma | 120 |
| Laura | 120 |
| Sarah | 117 |
| Hannah | 112 |
| Katie | 106 |
| Sophie | 96 |
| Amy | 89 |
| Charlotte | 88 |
| Lucy | 86 |
| Emily | 83 |
| Lauren | 76 |
| Rebecca | 74 |
| Rachel | 73 |
| Claire | 58 |
| Alice | 52 |
| Jessica | 49 |
| Megan | 48 |
| Gemma | 46 |
| Beth | 45 |
Hen party FAQs
What is a hen party?
A hen party, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is “a party for a woman who is going to get married soon, to which only her female friends are invited”. However, these days, males can also be invited.
How many hen parties are there a year?
There are around 250,000 hen parties every year in the UK.
What is the most popular month for hen parties?
The most popular month for hen parties is May due to it being well-placed before the wedding season in the summer.
How many hen parties were there in 2022?
There were around 500,000 hen parties in 2022 due to weddings being deferred by the pandemic.
What is a sten do?
A ‘sten’ do is when the bride & groom celebrate their stag & hen do together before their big day.
What was the most popular hen party location in 2022?
The most popular hen party location in 2022 was London (11.75%).
What was the most popular hen party activity in 2022?
The most popular hen party activity in 2022 was hen party life drawing, over twice as popular as afternoon tea.
What is the average size of a hen party?
The average size of a hen party is 14.2 hens based on over 7,500 hen parties since 2016.
What was the most popular hen party group size in 2022?
The most popular hen party group size is 10, followed by 20 hens.
How much should the average hen party cost in the UK?
The average hen party cost in the UK in 2022 was £249. The cost of a hen party can vary greatly depending on the location, activities planned, and the number of attendees.
Some popular hen party activities, such as spa days, cocktail-making classes, and club nights out can be quite expensive. Additionally, the cost of accommodation, transportation, and meals can also add up. On average, a hen party in the UK can cost anywhere from £50-£400 per person, but it could be more or less depending on the level of luxury and activities chosen.
Who pays for the hen do / hens night?
Who covers the cost for the hen party? We found that on average 92% of hen parties costs are covered by all attendees.