Birthday Party Venues in Inner South

Inner South birthdays can mean a pub night in Manuka, a lakeside dinner in Parkes or a big club hall with a stage. The suburbs split fairly cleanly by style, so it pays to decide on the mood before the venue.

Parkes and Kingston hold the waterfront rooms, Deakin and Narrabundah the large club halls, and Yarralumla, Red Hill and Griffith the garden, golf-course and pub settings.

Birthday options, suburb by suburb:

• Parkes: The Marion seats 160 or takes 250 standing in a glass-walled room on Lake Burley Griffin, while Water's Edge offers a private room for 18 up to the whole room for 107.
• Kingston: Walt & Burley on the foreshore splits into a garden, the Canal Bar, a dining area and a Fireside Lounge for about 20, with grazing from $52 per person.
• Deakin and Narrabundah: Canberra Deakin Football Club has rooms for 150 and 300, and The Zeppelin Room @ Harmonie German Club seats 280 with a stage.
• Griffith: Public Bar gives a group its own Upstairs Bar for 80 standing, with banquet menus from $60 per person.
• Yarralumla and Red Hill: Yarralumla Gallery and The Oaks Brasserie offers a marquee among heritage gardens, and Federal Golf Club's function room divides from 70 up to 200.

Milestone birthdays with long speeches and a band lean towards the club halls; a 30th with friends often fits the pub rooms better. For a child's birthday, Fyshwick adds an indoor ninja obstacle course at Ninja Parc Fyshwick.