8 Excellent Tips For Planning a Killer Bar or Pub Crawl in Detroit

While barhopping has been around for decades, pub crawls started in Great Britain around the turn of the twentieth century. Local owners of small bars, taverns, and pubs lined up within short distances discovered patrons were walking to their venues making multiple stops along the way. Organizers in England began turning this practice into actual events and the term pub or bar crawl was meant to convey drinkers could be crawling instead of walking by the end of the tour.

Here in Detroit, we’ve got plenty of excellent drinking venues to choose from and often there are some of these pre-planned party platforms already in place. However, putting together a bar crawl experience that’s personalized for our posse is an amazing way to spend an afternoon or evening out on the town.

So without any further adieu, here’s a list of eight excellent tips and tricks for making the most of this memorable and mobile outing with our entourage in tow.

1. Theme

What’s a party without a theme? Whether celebrating a specific special occasion like a birthday, anniversary or an upcoming wedding, often there’s already a theme in place we can mimic. In other cases, the possibilities of a tie-in for our event are practically endless. Just for argument’s sake and as an example, it could be associated with a certain beverage, like taking tequila shots, blended pitchers of margaritas, pouring glasses of fine wine or drawing signature craft beers available on tap.

2. Scheme

When it comes to scheming, including some competition or other playful activities as part of the event is a great way to keep the crawl cruising along. For example, given a little forethought, stops could include locations where there are pool tables, dart boards, dice cups, video games or pinball machines available. There could a rating system put into place in order to choose the best beverage or favorite food to be crowned the crawl champion by the end of the tour.

3. Venue

A vital part of the early planning process is selecting appropriate venues and planning a designated route to be followed. The locations don’t necessarily need to be close in proximity, but putting them in order will make the event have a better flow. Check out the addresses on a map and plot a course that makes some logistical sense. Whether your party will be traveling from east to west, north to south or in a circle, the route is an important step.

4. Menu

Along with a theme, planning should also include different types of food and snacks available along the way. Many drinking establishments offer and an extensive menu of appetizers, finger foods and other types of bar fodder available for their guests. Looking back at our theme, if we’ll be tossing back some margaritas, chips-and-salsa or nachos will pair nicely with this beverage choice.

5. Mixology

As any seasoned party planner already knows, mixing different types of alcohol together when drinking could cause potential problems. In planning one type of beverage to be imbibed along the way with a pre-designated theme, this choice is a way to avoid a potentially unpleasant end to the journey.

6. Technology

When it comes to all of today’s technology, encourage crawlers to keep their handheld devices at arm’s length during the excursion. While we want them on hand during the event for those all-important selfies, videos and in case someone from our party is separated from the crowd, smartphones shouldn’t be omnipresent and distract from the experience.

7. Heads-Up

Don’t forget to give your plotted locations a heads-up about your arrival. This will include the date, approximate time of arrival, number of guests in your party and what you’re planning to eat and drink. Depending on the size of your guest list, these vendors may bring on additional staff or adjust their ordering prior to your arrival to accommodate all of your party’s needs.

8. Hands-Off

We’re all aware of the important necessity of assigning a designated driver before, during and after taking one of these trips. To ensure everyone involved will be a part of the party, consider hiring a ride. Choosing and booking a Dream Limousine or party bus will deliver all your guests safely to these destinations. Leave the transportation to us and we’ll be in charge of driving you and your crew so everyone will enjoy the crawl in comfort, style, and luxury without worrying about who is behind the wheel.