How to Set Up a Pub Crawl

A pub crawl can be a great night out with friends.

Creating a night out as a pub crawl can be a great way to celebrate a special event or shake things up and do something a little out of the ordinary with your friends. The key to any great pub crawl is setting the right tone, giving people plenty of notice, making sure the meeting place is easy to find, and keeping everyone moving along to keep the excitement and energy up throughout the evening.

Instructions

1. Select a date and decide which bar to start the pub crawl at. Make sure to pick one that is easy to find, has parking options if people will be driving to the first bar, and will help set a fun tone for the evening.

2. Send out invitations. The invitations do not need to be mailed or formal, but they should be fun and set the right tone for the event. Two online options are Evite, which allows creators to choose their own templates, and Facebook, which allows people to add pictures for a personal touch. Only tell people the first bar of the evening so that they will be intrigued and looking forward to finding out the other bars as the night progresses.

3. Create a map either physically or at least mentally of the bars where you're going. Having a plan for the night will make everything go much smoother. Five or six pubs are a good number for a pub crawl.

4. Set a time limit for each place. It can be easy to lose track of time and get sucked into staying at one location, but the point of a pub crawl is to move around and only stay at one place for a little while so that nothing becomes boring and the momentum continues. Thirty minutes to an hour or about one drink per bar is usually enough time to have a little fun and then continue on.

5. Arrive to the first bar early so that you can greet people and stake out an area so your group can mingle and get drinks. You want to make everyone feel welcome and happy to be there so that they will all have an enjoyable night.

6. Encourage everyone to go together and get a bite to eat and maybe some coffee before dispersing. This suggestion can keep the fun going but will also help sober up guests so they do not make poor decisions after a night of drinking.

Tips & Warnings

• A fun addition for a pub crawl is to add a scavenger hunt element. People could divide into teams, or perhaps the first person to find the item gets some type of reward, or maybe just the guest of honor, like the birthday honoree if the pub crawl is a birthday celebration, must complete a checklist of tasks. This small addition helps keep things interesting and lively for everyone and makes the night feel special. Also, tip the bartenders well since they are dealing with a group all at once that is only staying for a drink or two.

• Do not allow people to drink and drive. Make sure they have a designated driver, take a cab, or walk home. As the organizer, you do have an inherent responsibility to help ensure everyone makes wise decisions after a pub crawl.

References

• Pub Crawl Best Practices

Resources

• The Pub Crawler
• Yum Sugar: Pub Crawl