Fancy dress
A lot of groups do the Dozen in fancy dress. It makes the photos better and makes it easier to find each other in a busy pub. Here are some themes that work.
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Dress as the DozenEveryone picks a pub on the route and dresses as its name: a crown, a royal oak, an admiral for The Nelson, a salmon, a slug and a lettuce, a train driver for the Head of Steam. Twelve pubs, twelve costumes.
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The Twelve Days of ChristmasOne line of the song each, from the partridge in a pear tree to the drummers drumming. It fits a crawl of twelve, and The Dog and Partridge is on the route.
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Christmas jumpersThe easy December option. Warm, cheap, and nobody has to carry anything.
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HalloweenAnything goes, but face paint beats full masks: you'll be showing ID and ordering at a lot of bars.
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Pick a decade70s, 80s or 90s. Charity shops are a good start, and it works whether people put in five minutes or five hours.
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Sailors and piratesStripes, hats and an eyepatch. Goes well with The Nelson and The Salmon of Knowledge, and a fish and chip stop on the way.
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SuperheroesA cape and a logo on a T-shirt is enough. Leave the props at home.
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Where's WallyRed and white stripes, glasses and a bobble hat. Cheap, and you can spot your group across a busy pub.
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OnesiesComfortable and warm for a winter crawl. Think about the toilets before you commit.
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One colour eachEveryone wears head to toe in a single colour. Together you make a rainbow, or you all match.
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Letter of the alphabetEach person gets a letter and comes as something beginning with it. Draw the letters a few weeks before.
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Hawaiian shirtsThe summer option: shorts, loud shirts and sunglasses. Good for a crawl with beer gardens in it.
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Sports kitsRetro football shirts, tennis whites or 80s aerobics. Wear trainers you can walk in all day.
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TogasA bedsheet and some safety pins. Best left for warmer months.
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Gangsters and molls1920s pinstripes, braces and trilbies, or flapper dresses, pearls and a feather headband. Leave the toy tommy guns at home.
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Beer festival staffDress like you're serving steins at a Bavarian beer festival: lederhosen, braces and a checked shirt, or a dirndl with a frilly blouse and apron. Add a feathered hat and long socks.
Before you commit
- You'll be on your feet and walking between twelve pubs. Pick shoes you can wear all day.
- Skip full face masks and anything that looks like a weapon. Bar staff need to see faces, and replica weapons can get you refused or stopped.
- Some pubs are wary of large groups in fancy dress, especially at weekends. Keep it friendly at the door, and don't take it personally if one says no.
- Big costumes are hard work at a crowded bar and a tight toilet. The simpler the costume, the more pubs it lasts.
- Think about the weather. Most of the walk is outside on Wilmslow Road.
- You still need ID, a phone and a card. Make sure the costume has somewhere to keep them.
Where to get costumes
These online shops deliver across the UK. Order a week or two ahead so there's time to swap sizes.