A stag and doe lives or dies on one thing: do guests keep spending after the door fee? The best fundraising nights have a handful of cheap, easy games that people can play in 30 seconds, plus one “event” station that draws a crowd. Here are 15 stag and doe games that work, how to run each, and a simple plan to put the night together.
How stag and doe fundraising works
Guests pay admission, then buy tickets for games, draws and raffles all night. The couple keeps what's left after the hall, food, music and prizes. So the goal is simple: games that are fast, cheap to run and easy to explain, with prizes people actually want. Whether you call them stag and doe ideas or stag party ideas, the best ones follow that rule.
Check the rules first. In BC, raffles and 50/50 draws can need a gaming licence depending on how they're run. Read BC's charitable gaming page before you sell tickets.
15 stag and doe games
- Toonie toss. Floor grid of squares; guests toss a toonie, keep it if it lands clear of the lines, and the rest go to the couple. Zero cost to set up.
- 50/50 draw. Sell numbered tickets all night, draw one winner, and the winner takes half the pot. The classic. See the licensing note above.
- Guess how many in the jar. Fill a jar with candy, caps or loonies. $2–$5 a guess, closest wins the jar or a prize.
- Ring toss. Rings over bottles or pegs. Cheap to build and easy for kids and adults.
- Raffle prize table. Gift baskets, gift cards, local business donations. Display them so people can see what they're buying tickets for.
- Silent auction. A few bigger items with bid sheets. Close it an hour before the end so people can settle up.
- Prize wheel. Guests pay to spin; slices are small prizes, shots or “lose a turn”. Easy to rent or build.
- Cornhole tournament. Entry fee per team, bracket on a whiteboard, winners get a prize. Fills dead time and works outdoors.
- Buy-a-key, unlock-a-prize. Guests buy a key; one fits a lockbox with a prize. Cheap and suspenseful.
- Pie the groom (or the bride). Guests chip in to choose who gets a pie in the face. Silly and shareable.
- The shoe game. The couple sits back to back with shoes; guests vote with money by holding up the answer to questions like “who is the better driver?”
- Dollar dance. A longstanding stag and doe tradition: guests pay to dance with the bride or groom.
- Putting contest. A putting mat and a cup; pay per ball, and closest or in-the-hole wins a prize.
- Bottle-cap count. Same idea as the jar guess, themed to the couple.
- Closest-to-the-pin on a golf simulator. A mobile golf simulator set up in the hall or yard gives you one station that draws a crowd: guests pay per swing, closest to the pin on a chosen hole wins the prize, and you can run a long-drive leaderboard. No golf experience needed, and people watch even when they aren't playing.
Running a golf simulator station at your stag and doe
On The Go Golf delivers, sets up and takes down the golf simulator. Setup takes about 30–45 minutes and it needs roughly 10 ft × 15 ft of space, indoors or outdoors. Packages start at $499 for a half day. See our stag and doe golf simulator rental page for how it runs.
Do the sums before you book. Decide what you'll charge per swing and how many swings you expect, and make sure the station covers its own cost before prizes. Treat anything beyond that as a bonus for the couple.
A few tips: put it near the bar, not the door; keep one person collecting tickets; set a “closest to the pin” prize and announce the winner at the end of the night. See pricing or check your date.
A simple 6-week plan
- 6 weeks out: book the hall, pick the date, check licence rules for raffles and 50/50.
- 5 weeks out: ask local businesses for prizes; confirm DJ and food.
- 4 weeks out: choose 6–8 games, including one “crowd” station; book the simulator or other rentals.
- 2 weeks out: print tickets, signs and price lists; line up volunteers for each station.
- Week of: buy small change (loonies and toonies) and a cash float; test any equipment.
- Day of: set up stations early; assign one trusted person to count money.
Or hire a golf simulator for the night
A half day is $499 and a full day is $799, with delivery, setup and takedown included. Planning the wedding too? See wedding golf simulator entertainment.