The Best Summer Party Venues For Hire

Introduction to Summer Parties

Despite what you may think, the UK has some pretty beautiful summers. It doesn’t rain all the time like the stereotypes you may have heard, instead, over the last several years, the summer months have been filled with sunshine and heat. And that’s why hosting a summer party is an excellent idea! British people love the summer and any excuse to be outside, with a cold pint in their hand, making the summer party a popular choice for office get-togethers. And lucky for you, there are so many incredible summer party venues that feature stunning rooftops, quirky gardens, and more for you to choose from. So what are you waiting for? Start dreaming up your best summer party ideas now!

The Essence of Summer Parties

The great thing about a summer party is that you can go all out with a theme or keep things simple in a pub garden. If you’re thinking about having a theme, you have a pretty extensive list of summer party ideas to choose from. Transport your team to the tropics with a beach party or get competitive with a sports day in the park. Have everyone dress up in their finest attire for a British garden party or gather the team together for a sunset BBQ.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you add some pretty decor to your summer party venue. Look for fun items like tiki torches, pretty twinkle lights for when the sun goes down, paper lanterns and more! If you’re going to plan a sports day, get some medals for the winners of your games. String bunting through the trees and make the backdrop to your event festive.

When it comes to your summer party foods, decide early on what sort of cuisine you’d like to serve. You can host a classic BBQ with burgers and hotdogs or have a big picnic with picky-bits. Make sure to end the meal with some ice cream to keep people cool. Create some tasty cocktails. Go classic with a Pimm’s Cup or Aperol Spritz or get crafty and make up your own specialty drinks.

Make sure to plan some fun activities during your summer party. If you’re hosting a beach get together or a park hang, set up some volleyball nets or play a game of rounders. You can also play lifesize Jenga or keep it simple with some good music and dancing.

No matter what summer party ideas you have, as long as you flesh them out, you’re bound to have a great event! It’ll be something your team will be talking about well into the winter.

Why Host a Summer Party

There are a number of reasons you should host a summer party. Firstly, it’s a great way to boost morale in the workplace. Getting your team outdoors during the summer is an excellent idea as it can really clear the cobwebs and spark creativity. If you opt for an activity outdoors for your summer party, you’ll be promoting teamwork and encouraging your co-workers to bond. If you decide on a drinks reception in a garden or at a rooftop bar, you’ll be creating a relaxed atmosphere for people to get to know each other. Plus, everyone likes to get outside when the weather is nice! After your summer party you’ll end up with a refreshed team, ready to take on new challenges in the workplace.

Top Venue Recommendations

We love a good summer party venue. From rooftops to traditional gardens and everything in between, there is always a great place to be booked. If you’re looking for a traditional summer party venue in London, Inner Temple has a stunning garden as well as a marquee. The capacity is up to 600 people, making it a great venue for large groups.

For something more unique, Barge East is an excellent venue. Your summer party will be hosted on an old Dutch barge, alongside a beautiful garden area. They serve up some incredible seasonal dishes and tasty cocktails.

If you’re looking to host a summer party for your team and you have people scattered around the UK and need something close to Kings Cross Station, Big Chill Kings Cross has a beautiful roof terrace. It’s bright and colourful and the perfect setting for a summer bash.

Another London favourite is 93 Feet East. Located in the vibrant atmosphere of Brick Lane, the venue has a cool and quirky Courtyard area, with a stairway leading to a smaller outdoor terrace that overlooks the main area. It can be covered so you don’t have to worry about those English summers.

In Manchester, The Lawn Club has a massive pergola available for hire. WIth a capacity of up to 200 people, it’s a great spot for a summer party. During the summertime they even have an open air lawn area where you can play games with your team.

Birmingham has Sixes Cricket Club, which has a lovely outside terrace that would be ideal to hire out for a summer party. You can have some of your team batting in one of the cages and everyone else can hang on the terrace while they wait for their turn!

For summer parties in Liverpool, you’ll love Escape Live. They have a lovely rooftop terrace, which is an excellent choice for a summer party. Kick off your day with some team building in one of their many Escape Rooms (they have six!), followed by drinks and food outside on the terrace.

Just outside of Edinburgh is Carberry Tower which has 40 acres of private grounds, which makes it the prime choice for a summer party. Play highland games or archery and enjoy an outdoor drinks reception.

And on the outskirts of Bristol you can find he WaveT, a man made surf lake with artificial waves. They offer surf sessions and lessons and are a really fun choice for a summer party this year. Plus, they even have on-site glamping accommodation if you want to make it an overnight experience.

Tips for a Successful Summer Party

If you can, it’s best to allow plenty of time to plan your summer party. The best private hire venues the UK has to offer will naturally be in high demand, so if you have a particular space in mind that you want to use, plan to do so early to reduce the risk of them being all booked up.

It’s also essential to budget properly - some venues will work on a minimum spend basis, others will require a hire fee - and if you can establish a date when everyone’s available, that’s also a bonus. It’s obviously tricky to ensure an office of, say, 30 people can all keep a certain date free, but last minute drop-outs / extra attendees could be a headache for both the party organiser and venue host.

Establish some must-haves nice and early: does the party have to be in a particular part of town? Will you want some kind of activities, or just to focus on some food and drink? Use a platform like VenueScanner to search and compare the best summer party venues. Whether you’re looking for a chilled beer garden, restaurant or rooftop space, contrasting the different options right here will give you ample opportunity to find the perfect fit for your group.

Once you’ve found a venue that you like (and sent a free enquiry via VenueScanner) be sure to arrange a site visit with the venue itself. Photos and reviews give you a good feel for the space, but heading down in person will let you scope out the venue properly, try some food and drinks, and generally picture how your summer party will pan out. Alternatively, our free concierge service can do all of this for you.

Food and Drink Highlights for Summer

If you know you want to serve food during your summer party, make sure the venue offers catering options or allows you to bring your own. Many summer party venues offer packages for you to choose from for your event. These food and drink packages are a great way to save money and make sure there’s enough for everyone. Because it’s summer, you’ll want to look for some light canapes or appetisers such as charcuterie boards, mini quiches, skewers, and more. If you’d prefer to have more substantial food at your summer party, popular choices include BBQ favourites, tacos, pasta salads, and more.

For drinks, you’ll want to serve some refreshing cocktails. People love a good Pimm’s Cup or Aperol Spritz in the summertime, but you should also think about creating a good mocktail for people who don’t drink. You’ll also want to have some good craft beer selections and some prosecco and wine on hand at your summer party.

Entertainment and Activities

Entertainment can really make or break your summer party. When you’re planning your summer party you’ll want to decide if you’d like to spend some of your budget on entertainment. If you’re happy to do that you can hire a live band or DJ. You can maybe get a photo booth with some fun props so everyone can remember the day.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on entertainment, opt for some lawn games like rounders or volleyball. You can easily plan a team olympics in a local park, followed by drinks in a nearby summer party venue. You just need to get creative!

Concierge

Our expert events team is available to provide personalised help searching for and booking the best venue for your summer party. The VenueScanner Concierge is an event service that will save you time and money when you’re organising large corporate events. It’s totally free and because we’re dialled into the industry, we can negotiate the best rates with the venues as well as recommend and book event suppliers. If you’re wondering who can use VenueScanner Concierge, it’s open to business clients planning any events for their company.

Booking & Enquiries

If you’d like to get in touch with our concierge team or find a venue yourself, it’s best to start looking by filling out a Venue Finder form. We’ll ask you what your event type is, whether it’s a personal or business event, and what your preferred venue type is. Next we’ll ask about your location, estimated budget, and number of people, once you’ve filled this all out we can recommend some venues for you!

Alternatively you can browse VenueScanner yourself using search or explore on our homepage. If you love a venue you can add it to your shortlist by clicking on the little heart, which you can find in the top right hand corner of the venue photo. Once you’ve saved some, send out an enquiry to all the venues on your short list with one click! Make sure to include any relevant information like date, time, number of people, budget, etc.