Brighton for a Hen Party Treasure Hunt? This is why it makes sense!

Posted on: 04/01/2024

January and February are the top months in my experience for booking up hen party treasure hunts. Some of the first things people like re-assurance on are the cost and size of the places on their shortlist. I organised a treasure hunt towards the end of last year for a group from Scotland. Edinburgh and Glasgow had been ruled out on the grounds of being too familiar. London was crossed off for being too big and expensive. It was down to Manchester and Brighton. In the end Brighton won, despite being on the South coast of England, because it had everything they wanted and, conveniently, in a much more compact area. This is a great selling point for me as I can fit a lot of Brighton`s attractions, points of interest and unusual items into all sorts of different routes within the city.
You are never more than 10-15 minutes from a very different part of Brighton. From Brighton train station you can access the quirky North Laine full of independent shops...carry on without diversion and you are into the cultural district  including theatres, the museum and art gallery and of course the iconic Royal Pavilion. There are choices on which route to take from here, but in 5 minutes you are in The Lanes, which has the proud reputation of being one of the most visited sections of the city. The winding lanes, the jewellery shops, the oldest pubs and high reputation restaurants and cafes all vie for your attention. Soon coming into view is, inevitably, the seafront. The pier, small art galleries, a fishing museum, open air bars, atmospheric beachside nightclubs and, a little further on, the i360 revolving tower take turns to assault your senses and pique your interest. My job is to take elements from all of these to give you a true flavour of Brighton.
Hen parties can choose accommodation across the city to suit all budgets. The large majority of hen party bookings like to start at or close to their accommodation if they are doing a morning treasure hunt. At Black Cat Treasure Hunts I benefit from this natural wish to maximise time because I like writing different routes. Alternative treasure hunt companies, especially national ones, prefer using a few set routes only and are not able to adapt. The bandstand on the western edge of the seafront, in fact almost in Hove, is a great place to meet up with bookings staying over that side of Brighton. The bandstand is also lisenced for weddings. Maybe you could return for a second treasure hunt for your guests on the big day?! The eastern side of Brighton should not be forgotten and there are some great, themed hen party accommodation venues at the top and middle of Kemptown. It`s possible to zig-zag a route from there that soon links up with the central part of Brighton, already detailed. In Kemptown you can find out who introduced Tuaca (a Brandy liqueur) and the first chain pier to the city (different people!)
Brighton has arguably the biggest concentration of bars/restaurants compared to anywhere in the country. As a result a hen party may want to finish their treasure hunt at any point across the city. Personalised treasure hunts reflect this and the additional information and photos supplied in advance by you help me to make the treasure hunt special. Do you like street art? Brighton has an exceptional choice of artists. I am regularly checking to see what is currently on display and how I can work questions relevant to you around their work. Prefer photography as your mode of creativity? Each year there are two areas on the seafront that change their displays of incredible photographs taken in and around Brighton. Your hen party team can stop and admire for a second before looking for the answer to a related question.
I can write themes into treasure hunts and Brighton is very helpful on that score. Music to suit all tastes are catered for. The music tunnel next to the Brighton sealife has murals featuring all sorts of musicians with Brighton connections. ABBA won Eurovision in Brighton in 1974 for example. Other musicians are featured by the street artists, as far as I can tell, because they like them rather than by having a Brighton connection. Stevie Wonder, Madonna and Amy Winehouse can be found on less well known Brighton streets, but as intrinsic questions on a hen party treasure hunt. Brighton`s variety has assisted the implementation of themes and recent ones have included the surnames of the participants(!), bargain hunt (for a team building treasure hunt as it happens) and murder/mystery.
It`s not just the physical aspects of Brighton that are advantageous. The people in this city are accepting and used to the unusual. You will not need to try too hard to involve strangers in your challenges if required. Brightonians (yes..that is the correct term) know that 3 teams of female pirates  asking where the nearest boats are to take a video clip for points on a Black Cat treasure hunt is normal. They will help you...they want you to do well. I saw a game this Christmas that had Jenga pieces with funny questions on designed to create amusing discussion. One question was: "How many owls would you need to see during the normal course of your day before you thought something was wrong?" If you applied this type of question ( about people completing unusual tasks or attired in fun fancy dress in Brighton) to groups on a hen (or stag) party...then the answer would be: "No limit on numbers. Nothing surprises me in Brighton. Each to their own."
A lot of hen party groups are interested in discovering the lay-out of the city and getting to know the other guests. In addition, most of the bookings that choose a Black Cat Treasure Hunt are very keen to avoid the sleazy aspects sometimes associated with hen/stag parties. This fits in neatly with my guidelines on the type of info/photos (not too embarrassing) supplied. Brighton has extensive and interesting history that can be integrated seamlessly into the questions and fun challenges. Did you know that Charles II escaped to France from Brighton in a boat, to spend nine years in exile? How`s your French? You may land up re-creating that little bit of history.