Everything for Christmas Parties
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End-of-year parties in the Hunter Valley tend to split two ways: a winery function in Pokolbin, where the setting and the wine are the draw, or a pub night in Maitland and Morpeth, closer to where many staff live. Most work teams decide on headcount first, then on whether the night should feel formal or loose.
For a whole-company gathering, Ben Ean in Pokolbin has a heritage-listed Courtyard for up to 300 seated or 450 standing, plus the Laraghy Room with its own balcony for up to 110 seated. Private event packages start from $80 per person including venue hire. Twine Restaurant's Barrel Room suits up to 150, with cocktail menus from $52 per person.
In Maitland the mood is more casual. The Family Hotel on High Street hosts groups of 25 and up with a roaming canapé package from $42 per person, and The Dining Room @ The Pourhouse seats about 40 inside the 1866 former Exchange Hotel. The George Tavern in East Maitland has a courtyard with its own private bar. To get the team there and home again, Damien's Party Bus seats up to 30 with a host on board, and H2 Hunter Hummers runs a stretch Hummer for 15 from $550 per hour.
A few ways to shape the party:
For more choice, see Christmas party venues, or plan a get-together for other times of year with team building.
Ben Ean's heritage-listed Courtyard takes up to 300 seated or 450 standing. Twine Restaurant's Barrel Room holds up to 150, and the Scarborough Function Centre at East Maitland Bowling Club seats up to 160. Harrigan's Hunter Valley has an open-air terrace for up to 500, and Club Singleton seats 260 with its auditorium and Function Room joined.
Commercial Hotel Morpeth has sit-down two-course menus from $40 per person for groups over 20, and The Family Hotel's canapé package starts from $42 per person for groups of 25 or more.
Our Italian Table runs private and team cooking classes for up to 20 that end with a shared meal, and East Maitland Bowling Club pairs free barefoot bowls with an upstairs function room. Pinnacle Team Events and Premier Team Building also bring wine challenges to your winery or resort before the meal. Majors Lane Cooking School's private classes, from $170 per person, spend about three hours on barbecue, Thai or Greek dishes before the team sits down to lunch with a drink included. At Hunter Valley Resort + Farm in Pokolbin, a chef-led class in the teaching kitchen ends with lunch at the table, and the bistro, taproom and 35 rooms are on the same 100-acre property for teams staying the night.
The Family Hotel and Ben Ean both offer a bar tab. Twine Restaurant, The George Tavern and Boydell's offer drink packages.
The Royal Muswellbrook, a restored 1893 hotel, has six function areas from a 16-seat cellar to a 100-guest courtyard and beer garden, with char-grill packages from $50 per person.
Twine Restaurant's Private Dining Room seats 20, Gather has two private dining rooms at Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, and Our Italian Table takes up to 20 for a private class and lunch. For a team that wants a vineyard stop on the way, H2 Hunter Hummers runs private half-day or full-day tours, and Damien's Party Bus brings an esky of ice for BYO drinks.
The Bow Tie DJ Guy, based at East Branxton, plays private events from $200 per hour with sound for up to 150 guests and charges no travel fee across the Hunter. Duality, a singer and keyboard duo, starts from $500 and brings a full sound system. For a dance floor with a live band, Colour Theory is a five-piece pop and rock covers band with its own desk, PA and lighting, and The Verweys run a four-piece band with an optional DJ set to finish.
