December is the only month in which venue pricing stops behaving like the rest of the year. For three weeks every company in a city wants the same three Fridays and Saturdays, venues know it, and minimum spends appear that would be unthinkable in February. Understanding that market is the difference between paying for the date and paying for the party.
Ask three suppliers for a price
Venues for Christmas parties: shared party nights and exclusive hire
Large venues sell December in two ways. A shared or joiner night puts several companies in one room at a set price per head with a fixed menu and an entertainment package, and it is by far the cheaper option for a small team. Exclusive hire gives you the room and costs what the venue would have taken from several bookings. Neither is wrong; they suit different sizes. A team of fifteen is usually better served by a good shared night than by an exclusive room they cannot fill.
What a December quote should itemise
Room or entry per head, the menu and how many courses, a drinks package or bar arrangement, entertainment, cloakroom, and the finish time. Cloakroom charges and drinks packages are where December quotes differ most, because a shared night with a cheap headline can carry a compulsory drinks package that doubles it. Ask for the total for your headcount rather than the per head figure, which is the only number that can be compared.
When to book, and why a summer party venue is cheaper
Venues take December bookings from the spring and price rises as the weeks fill, so the cheapest version of any December party is the one booked early. The next cheapest is a weekday: a Tuesday or a Wednesday in December is a materially different price from a Friday. And the cheapest of all is not December: a January party, a summer party or an anniversary event buys a much better venue for the same money, and several organisations move theirs permanently for that reason.
Christmas party venues London, and what corporate party venues London charge in December
London is where every rule on this page bites hardest, because the three good Fridays are contested by more companies per square mile than anywhere else in the country. Minimums that would be a whole budget elsewhere are ordinary in zone one, shared nights sell out by September, and the venues know that a firm which has left it late has nowhere else to go. The cheap version of a London December is a weekday, a shared night, or a room a few stops out.
Questions people ask about christmas party venues
What is a shared Christmas party night?
A venue puts several companies in one room at a price per head with a fixed menu and entertainment. It is the cheaper option for small teams and it means you do not have the room to yourselves.
When should a Christmas party be booked?
From the spring for a December Friday or Saturday. Prices rise as the weeks fill, and the same venue on a December weekday is a different figure entirely.
How can a December party be made cheaper?
Book early, take a weekday, take a shared night, or move the party out of December altogether. A January or summer event buys a much better venue for the same budget.
Are christmas party venues near me cheaper than a city centre room?
Usually, and by more than people expect. A suburban hotel or a golf club takes December bookings at a fraction of a central minimum, and the trade is transport home rather than quality. Price the taxis into the comparison and the gap often survives it.
What does a corporate summer party cost against a December one?
Materially less for the same room and the same catering, which is the argument for moving the date permanently. Summer is a soft market for indoor venues and a competitive one for outdoor space, so a July booking indoors buys a venue that would be out of reach in December.
Which corporate party venues take a small December booking?
Shared nights, restaurants with a private room, and bars that sell a drinks minimum rather than a per head package. A team of fifteen is too small for most exclusive hires in December and will be quoted a minimum built for fifty, so ask for the shared option first.