If you’re the best man, the brief is simple: organise something the stag will remember, his mates will talk about for years, and that doesn’t end the day with someone in A&E. Stag paintball ticks all three, which is why we host roughly one stag group per weekend through the summer. This guide is the practical one — costs, group sizes, what to actually do on the day, where to drink afterwards.
Why Paintball Works for Stag Dos
Three reasons stag groups keep coming back to it:
- Everyone gets stuck in. Karting and cocktail-making have someone hanging back. Paintball doesn’t — once the first paintballs are in the air, even the reluctant guests are committed.
- You can legitimately gang up on the stag. Solo round, target on his back, dressed in a pink combat suit (we’ve got them) — it’s the moment the rest of the group has been planning the whole morning for.
- It pairs perfectly with a pub afternoon. Two-and-a-half hours of paintball in the morning, then 700 yards down the road to The Black Swan or 5 minutes into Cobham for restaurants and bars. Day fills itself.
The Stag-Specific Bits
Embarrass the stag (legally)
Standard stag-day moments we can arrange:
- Pink combat suit for the stag (the rest of the group in standard camo)
- Solo round — the stag against the entire group, one life, no cover
- Target painted on his back so he can’t hide
- Forfeit challenges between games (loser does push-ups, wears a wig, etc.)
Just tell us at booking what you want and we’ll set it up. Nothing illegal, nothing that risks injury, but plenty of stories.
Group sizes that work
No minimum. We’ve run brilliant sessions for groups of 8 and groups of 80+. Everyone plays together in the same session regardless of size — no awkward team splitting between best friends and that one guy nobody knows.
For groups of 30+, send us your numbers as early as possible — bigger groups need more marshals on hand.
Costs
- Paintball stag: £37.95 per person — fully inclusive. Covers 500 paintballs, full kit (combat suit, body armour, full-face goggles), all marshals, access to all 12 game zones.
- Laser tag stag: £26.95 per person. Same forest, no paintball impact, slightly cheaper. Some groups go this route to keep costs down or for a “no bruising” promise.
- Top-up paintballs: bags of 100 or 200 available on the day, charged extra. Worth budgeting for.
- Pink suit / target / forfeit setup: free, just tell us at booking.
For mixed groups (some doing paintball, some laser tag), we can run both formats on adjacent zones at the same time.
The Standard Stag Day
- 9:45 — Arrival, kit-up. Get the stag in his pink suit before he can object.
- 10:00 — Safety briefing. Nobody’s ever drunk at this point (we hope). Pay attention.
- 10:15–12:30 — Games. 4–6 scenarios across the game zones, including the solo-stag round.
- 12:30–13:00 — Wrap, photos, kit return.
- 13:00 onwards — The pub. The Black Swan is 700 yards from our entrance — gastropub, beer garden, plenty of space for groups. Cobham town centre is 5 minutes away if you want more options. From there, head into London or stay local for the night.
Travel from London
10 minutes from M25 Junction 10, 25 minutes from central London by car. Free parking for 150+ cars and minibuses (groups often hire a minibus or two — easier than herding a hungover squad through trains).
By train: Effingham Junction is on the Waterloo–Guildford line, about 35 minutes from London Waterloo, then a 15-minute walk to us. Cobham & Stoke d’Abernon is also direct from Waterloo and a short taxi from us.
Full travel guide at paintball near London.
What to Tell the Group
- What to wear: long sleeves, long trousers, sturdy shoes you don’t mind getting muddy. Not your white trainers. Full guide.
- No drinks before: we won’t run paintball with anyone obviously drunk. Save it for the pub after.
- Eat properly beforehand: paintball is more physical than people remember.
- Bring a change of clothes: especially if heading straight to the pub. Plastic bag for the muddy gear.
If People Drop Out Last Minute
We know stag groups are unpredictable. Give us a rough number when you book; we’ll then need confirmed numbers 7 days before the day. After that, last-minute drops are charged for — we’ve already allocated marshals and kit.
The Best Man’s Checklist
Two weeks out: confirm date, lock in numbers, send the WhatsApp group reminder with venue address, kit dress code, and meet time. Give people the chance to drop out cleanly here — better than a no-show on the day.
One week out: confirmed numbers to us. After this point, last-minute drops are charged for (we’ve already allocated marshals and kit). Send the group a “what to expect” message — it stops the morning-of “wait, what time?” panic.
Day before: check-in text to the group. Remind them: long sleeves, long trousers, sturdy shoes, no fancy dress on paintball (save it for the pub). Eat properly, drink water, no heavy drinking the night before — paintball at 11am with a hangover is grim.
Day-of: arrive 15 minutes early. Get the stag in the pink combat suit before he can object. Take a photo at the start, take one at the end, the in-between will sort itself.
Combining With Other Activities
Some stag groups want more than just paintball. Three combinations work well:
- Multi-activity day: paintball + archery + axe throwing in one day at our site. £45–65pp typically. Variety for groups that want a full day on-venue.
- Paintball morning + activity afternoon: paintball 10:00–12:30, then cricket in Cobham, escape room in Guildford, or a Thames pub crawl from Chertsey. Plenty of options within 30 minutes.
- Paintball + classic stag pubs: the default. Paintball morning, lunch at The Black Swan, evening into Cobham/Esher or back to London.
When the Stag Is Nervous
Occasionally the stag himself is the one who’s not into paintball. Two options: switch the day to laser tag (no impact, same forest, £26.95pp) or run a hybrid where the stag plays the early gentle scenarios and the group plays the harder ones. Marshals can scale games up or down to the group’s tolerance.
If the stag is genuinely opposed and the group has booked anyway, rethink. Stag dos work when the stag is enjoying himself; they don’t work when he’s enduring it.
How to Book
Send a booking enquiry with the date, group size, activity (paintball / laser tag / both), and any stag-specific requests (pink suit, solo round, etc.). We confirm availability within 24 hours and take a deposit to secure the slot.
Related reading: paintball birthday parties for adult-birthday groups, paintball vs other group activities for the comparison.
