The Best Pub Crawl Fancy Dress Themes For Students

A pub crawl costume has a harder job than a party costume. It has to survive a mile of pavement, a queue in the rain and a bouncer with opinions.

The rule is simple: cheap, warm, hands free, and recognisable in a dark room. Everything below passes that test.

Honest note: we make cards, pin badges, prints and party decorations, not costumes.

Group themes that work for twenty people

• Anything but clothes: bin bags, cardboard, tablecloths, bubble wrap. Nearly free and always the funniest photos.
• Tourists: shorts, socks and sandals, bumbags, cameras, maps.
• Cartoon characters, one each - Read the guide
• Noughties: tracksuits, frosted tips, flip phones - Read the guide
• Jobs you'd never do: traffic warden, bin collector, referee, lifeguard.
• Under the sea, with one person in a full SpongeBob suit as the group mascot - Read the guide

The funny-guy costume

• Every group has one person who goes all in. A full-body SpongeBob suit is the reliable version - it goes over your clothes, it's warm, and the whole crawl gets photographed with you.
• Inflatable costumes are funnier but die when the battery does, and they don't fit in a taxi.
• Anything oversized reads better in a dark pub than anything detailed.
• Pick one person for the big costume and let everyone else do a cheap version of the theme.

Practical rules for a crawl

• Wear it over your own clothes. Pubs are warm, October streets are not.
• No masks over the face. Most doors won't let you in and you can't drink through them.
• Hands free. If you're holding a prop all night you'll lose it at the second pub.
• Shoes you can walk a mile in, not shoes that match the costume.
• Pockets, or a costume worn over something with pockets. Phone, card, keys.
• Nothing that needs a battery, a pump or an inflator to stay upright.

What gets you turned away

• Full face masks, face paint that obscures features, hoods up over a covered face.
• Anything resembling a weapon, including obviously plastic ones.
• Police, paramedic and armed forces uniforms - some doors refuse them outright.
• Costumes too wide for a doorway or a stair.
• Anything offensive. The joke lasts a second and the ban lasts the year.
• Check with the venue if you're a big group in costume - most are fine if you ring first.

Doing it cheaply

• Charity shop run as a group: one afternoon, one theme, everyone finds their outfit for a fiver.
• Buy one good costume between the group and rotate who wears it at socials.
• Cardboard, duct tape and a marker pen is a genre, not a compromise.
• Budget guide - Read the guide
• Prize ideas for a best-dressed vote - Read the guide

Shop party decorations

How to write it so it lands

• Over your own clothes, hands free, no face mask.
• Shoes for a mile of pavement, not shoes that match.
• One person goes big, everyone else goes cheap.
• Ring the venue first if you're a big group in costume.

Where to shop next

• Party supplies
• Bunting and banners
• Funny pin badges
• Funny cards
• 2000s fancy dress ideas
• Duo fancy dress ideas
• Under the sea fancy dress
• Cartoon character fancy dress
• Funny fancy dress ideas
• Fancy dress ideas
• Fancy dress party themes
• How to throw a fancy dress party
• Last minute fancy dress ideas
• DIY fancy dress on a budget
• Fancy dress prize ideas
• 80s and 90s party ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the best pub crawl fancy dress themes?

Anything but clothes, tourists, cartoon characters, jobs you'd never do, the noughties, or under the sea. Cheap, warm, hands free and recognisable in a dark room is the whole test.

What should you not wear on a fancy dress pub crawl?

Full face masks, anything resembling a weapon, emergency services uniforms, costumes too wide for a doorway, and anything that needs a battery or a pump to stay up.

What is a good cheap student costume?

Charity shop basics around a group theme, bin bags and cardboard for an anything-but-clothes crawl, or one good costume bought between the group and rotated between socials.

What is the funniest pub crawl costume?

A full-body character suit - SpongeBob is the reliable one. It goes over your own clothes, it's warm, and your group ends up in everyone else's photos all night.

Do you sell fancy dress costumes?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Costumes are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.