(updated Sept 2026)

Hiring a venue for a work Christmas party in London costs between £20 and £350 an hour, and around £77 an hour is typical. Plenty of bars and restaurants do not charge hire at all. They ask for a minimum spend on food and drink instead, which can start at about £100 and climbs to £3,000 for the bigger spaces.

That is a much wider range than most people expect, and the reason is that London venues charge in three completely different ways. Once you know which one you are dealing with, working out what your party will actually cost gets a lot easier.

How much does a Christmas party venue cost in London?

Hourly hire. You pay for the room and the time you are in it. Community halls, church halls, sports clubs and studios nearly all work this way. You bring your own food and drink, or book a caterer. Expect £20 to £350 an hour depending on the space, with most sitting around £77.

Minimum spend. Common in pubs, bars and restaurants. The room itself is free, but you commit to spending a set amount on food and drink. The number on its own tells you very little, so always ask what it covers. A £500 minimum that includes a three course meal is a completely different offer from £500 on drinks alone.

Per person. A fixed price per head, usually food and often a drink or two included. This starts at about £10 a head for something simple and runs to £72 and up for a full package.

Here is roughly what each oneworks out at for a team of 40.

Hourly hire nearly always works out cheapest, and it is the option most people do not know exists. The catch is that you are organising the food, the drink and the clearing up yourself. If you have got someone in the team who enjoys that sort of thing, you will save a lot of money. If you have not, a minimum spend venue does all of it for you.

Browse Christmas party venues in London

When should you book a London Christmas party?

Sooner than you think, and the answer depends entirely on how many people are coming.

Small teams have the luxury of being able to book later. If you are twenty people or fewer you can usually find something good five or six weeks out, and there is no real advantage to booking in July.

Larger groups need more notice. Once you are over fifty, the number of rooms in London that can hold you drops sharply, and the ones that can get booked up first. Three months ahead is sensible for anything over eighty.

Thursday and Friday dates in December go first, every year without fail. If your team is flexible on the day, you will get a better room for less money by looking at Monday to Wednesday, or by doing a daytime party and finishing at five.

One thing worth deciding early: book while your numbers are still uncertain, but check the cancellation terms before you confirm. Most venues will let you adjust numbers up to a point. Some will not. Its always worth asking.

What size venue do you actually need?

Take the number of people who have said yes and add ten percent, then look for a room rated slightly above that. Two things to think about at this stage are:

Firstly, don't solely rely on the RSVP list. Roughly between five and fifteen percent of people who say yes to a Decemberwork party do not turn up, usually because something else lands on the same evening or something comes up.

The second is booking a room that is exactly the right size on paper. A hall rated for 100 seated is not the same as a hall rated for 100 standing, and if you want a dance floor, a bar and somewhere to put coats, you may need the bigger number. Ask the venue what the capacity is for your specific set-up rather than going off the headline figure.

Where to look if the budget is tight

Four things make a genuine difference, and none of them makes the party worse.

1.  Go midweek. A Tuesday in early December costs noticeably less than the second Friday.

2.  Look at community halls and sports clubs. They generally charge by the hour, they are usually happy for you to bring your own drink, and a lot of them are far nicer inside than the outside suggests. They are also usually the venues where your money goes back into supporting the local community.

3.  Do it in daytime. A long lunch finishing mid afternoon can cost a fraction of an evening party and people are often more relaxed about it.

4.  Move it to January. Nobody wants to hear this in September, but a January party is cheaper, easier to book and does not compete with everyone’s family commitments.

Christmas party venues in London by budget

All prices below were listed in September 2026. Check the current rate on each venue’s page.

Under £50 an hour

The Loft in Brixton holds 65 and costs from £50 an hour, which makes it a great value venue in South London.

The Rutland Room at Kent House Knightsbridge takes 100 people from £41 an hour, in a building most people assume is well out of reach.

Lokkum Bar in South Woodford is a great bar for 350, hired by the hour from £45 rather than on a minimum spend.

£50 to £100 an hour

The Lower Hall at The Amadeus in Maida Vale holds 60 from £51 an hour.

Wykeham Hall at The Wykeham Centre in Romford is a beautiful setting for 100, hired by the hour from £51 rather than on a minimum spend.

The Main Hall at The Space in Canary Wharf takes 100 from£73 an hour, which is unusual for that part of London.

The Banquet Hall at Boston Banqueting Suite in Ealing seats 150 from £92 an hour.

‍

Minimum spend from £100

The Raised Area at The Piano Works in Farringdon holds 70 with a £100 minimum spend Monday- Wednesday and Sunday, £200 minimum spend on Thursday, £300 minimum spend on Friday and £1,000 minimum spend on Saturday.

The Veranda at Laki Kane onOxford Street holds 60 with a £200 minimum spend Monday-Thursday and Sunday anda £300 minimum spend on Friday and Saturday.

For 150 or more

The Hayes and Yeading Lounge atSkyEx Community Stadium from £122 an hour. This venue holds up to 350 but can fit175 people with space for a dance floor.

The Main Hall at Borough Hall inGreenwich takes 400 from £204 an hour on weekdays.

See all Sharesy Christmas Party venues in London

What to check before you confirm

Run through this list with the venue before you pay a deposit. It takes ten minutes and it is where most Christmas party problems come from.

•   What time can you get in to set up, and what time do you have to be out?

•   Is there a charge if you overrun?

•   Can you bring your own alcohol, and is there a corkage fee?

•   Are tbles and chairs included, and who puts them out?

•   Is there a kitchen, and can a caterer use it?

•   What is the deposit, and what is the cancellation deadline?

•   Is there anywhere for coats and bags?

•   Will the room be decorated for Christmas, or is it a plain room you are decorating yourself?

•   Who clears up, and is there a cleaning charge?

•   What is the nearest station, and is there parking?

That last one matters more than people expect in December. A venue ten minutes from a station will get you a much better turnout than one that needs two buses.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Christmas party cost per person in London?

It depends entirely on the format and number of guests. Hiring a hall by the hour and organising your own food works out at roughly £15 to £30 a head for a group of 40. A restaurant or bar package is usually £30 to £70 a head. A full evening at a premium venue with a sit down meal runs from £70 upwards.

When is the latest I can book a Christmas party in London?

For a group under 20, you can often find something in the first week of December. For anything over 50 you are looking at early November at the latest, and Thursday and Friday dates go well before that.

Can we bring our own food and drink to a Christmas party venue?

At most community halls, church halls and sports clubs, yes. It is one of the main reasons they work out cheaper. Pubs, bars and restaurants almost never allow it, because the food and drink is how they make their money. Always confirm before you book and ask whether there is a corkage charge.

What is a minimum spend and how does it work?

Instead of charging you for the room, the venue asks you to spend a set amount on food and drink. If your bar tab comes to more than the minimum, you just pay the tab. If it comes to less,you pay the difference. Ask whether food counts towards it, because at some venues it is drinks only.

Are Christmas party venues decorated already?

Some are, some are not. Bars and restaurants usually decorate their whole venue for December. Community halls and sports clubs are normally a plain room, which means you can decorate it however you like. Ask what will actually be up on your date, what you are allowed to add decorations and who takes it all down afterwards.

Is a work Christmas party tax deductible in the UK?

According to Gov.UK, there is an annual exemption of up to £150 per head for staff events, which covers Christmas parties as long as the event is open to all employees and you stay within that £150 per head figure across the whole year. Go a penny over and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess. Check the current rules on the Gov.uk website or with your accountant before you commit.

Ready to find somewhere?

Browse Christmas party venues in London to see what is available on your date, filtered by how many people you have got attending and what you want to spend. You will get the a list of all the available space available for your Christmas Party all in one place, making your venue search so much quicker and easier!