Four Festive Venues We're Talking About a Lot Right Now
When clients start planning their Christmas party, the first conversation is usually about food. The second is almost always about venue.
Get the venue right and half the work is done for you. Some spaces have that effect - people walk in, look around and immediately start imagining the night ahead.
These are four we've been talking about a lot recently.
Tower of London
There aren't many places where guests arrive by walking through a thousand years of history. The Tower isn't subtle, and that's exactly why people love it. The stone walls, the courtyards, the scale of it all - it feels important before you've put a single Christmas decoration up.
One Christmas, we cooked here for 150 guests, running fire stations outside with seared sirloin and slow-braised pork belly alongside a raclette and cheese bar, while indoors guests worked through a 10-mile food station of smoked salmon scotch eggs, truffled ricotta croustades and a full winter custard dessert bar. The combination of live fire cooking and that setting is hard to beat.
Somerset House
Somerset House always feels right at Christmas - the courtyard, the architecture, the fact that most people already have some connection to it. It's one of those venues that feels undeniably London.
We've catered multiple Christmas parties here across the Portico Rooms and East Wing, running festive canapé receptions followed by food stations including a raclette bar and custard dessert spread - all built around the natural rhythm of the space. It works beautifully across formats, from afternoon drinks through to a full evening celebration.
During the festive season, guests can also make the most of Skate at Somerset House, with the iconic ice rink bringing the courtyard to life. For a more intimate celebration, The Chalet, by Jimmy’s Pop Up, is inspired by Jimmy's time running ski chalets in the French Alps and is available for exclusive hire, while the Skate Lounge offers a stylish space overlooking the rink for drinks receptions and private events.
Christ Church Spitalfields
Most Christmas parties take place in spaces designed for events. Christ Church Spitalfields wasn't. That's what makes it interesting.
The scale is enormous. The ceilings seem to go on forever. Even a simple drinks reception feels different in a space like this - and a full seated dinner, as we've done there with canapes, a three-course menu and cocktail dessert course, feels genuinely special. You don't need much production. The building does most of the heavy lifting.
The Old Vic
The Old Vic is synonymous with Christmas. For many Londoners, a trip to see A Christmas Carol has become an annual tradition, making it the perfect setting for festive celebrations. It's a venue for clients who want something with a little more personality. Everyone has been to the hotel ballroom Christmas party; not everyone has had cocktails inside one of London's most iconic theatres.
We've worked the full space here - canapés and bowls pre-show in the rehearsal room, then a late-evening spread in the Dress Circle Bar with cheese boards, warming tartiflette bowls and miniature chocolate logs. The split-session format suits the venue perfectly and gives guests two distinct moments rather than one long evening.
The Venue Is Just the Beginning
Finding the right venue is only part of the story. The best Christmas parties bring together the right space, the right food and an atmosphere that encourages people to stay just a little longer than planned.
If you're starting to think about Christmas 2026, we'd love to help you find yours.