Christmas Party Venues in Pokolbin & Surrounds

What to Know Before Booking Christmas Party Venues

Year-end functions among the vineyards fall into three broad camps: a big pub-style party on Broke Road, a winery or restaurant function on McDonalds Road or Oakey Creek Road, or a seated dinner or garden hire in Lovedale, north-east of Pokolbin. Headcount, budget and whether the team is travelling in for the night narrow the choice quickly.

Late November and December Fridays are when most workplaces aim, so it's worth asking each venue about a weeknight or a long lunch as well – a calmer format often suits a mixed-seniority group that would rather not run late.

How the five options line up for a work celebration:

Harrigan's Hunter Valley, 2090 Broke Road: an open-air Terrace for 500 at a cocktail event, the Deck with its own bar for up to 240 standing, and set menus from $42 per person
Ben Ean, 119 McDonalds Road: set Christmas party packages each year, a heritage-listed Courtyard seating 300, and pricing from $80 per person that covers four and a half hours of hire
Twine Restaurant, 310 Oakey Creek Road: an exclusive Private Dining Room seating 20, or the Barrel Room for up to 150 on cocktail food from $52 per person when the group reaches 40
Leaves & Fishes, 737 Lovedale Road: one garden event space hired at a time by the half day, from $660 room hire, with your own caterer or a preferred partner
Gather, Wine Country Drive in Lovedale: GATHER North and GATHER West, the steakhouse's private rooms inside Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, with shared menus from $75 per person

Vineyard venues sit well apart and no train runs out to them, so book a coach or nominate drivers before the date is locked in. Harrigan's has rooms on site and Gather sits within Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, which helps when the team is staying over.

Pokolbin & Surrounds Christmas Party Venues

A whole-company celebration of several hundred fits Harrigan's Terrace or Ben Ean's Courtyard, both with catering and drinks packages run in-house
A department of 40 to 90 could take the Overwater Pavilion or the Assembly at Leaves & Fishes, each with its own commercial kitchen
A board or leadership dinner suits Twine's Private Dining Room or one of Gather's two rooms, GATHER North and GATHER West
For live music, Harrigan's Deck has a sound system and room for a band, and Leaves & Fishes can add musicians and festoon lighting

Where the Christmas budget goes

Harrigan's sits at the lower end, with a casual pizza, ribs and wings spread or finger food packages, plus room hire for each space
Ben Ean's packages fold in venue hire, staff, set-up and pack-down, with a beverage package and a dessert bar or gelato cart as add-ons
Leaves & Fishes lets drinks come BYO, poured by RSA-trained bar staff, or as a beer and wine package, which can keep the bar bill in check
Gather's groups order from set menus rather than the à la carte list, so the cost per head is known up front and dietary needs can be noted when booking

Venues for Christmas Parties: Your Questions Answered

Which venue holds a few hundred staff for a Christmas party?

Harrigan's Hunter Valley's open-air Terrace takes 500 for a cocktail event or seats 250, and Ben Ean's Courtyard seats 300 or holds 450 standing under a retractable roof.

Can our team bring its own caterer and drinks?

At Leaves & Fishes in Lovedale, yes. You can bring in your own caterer or use a preferred partner, and drinks can be BYO served by the property's bar staff or taken as a beer and wine package.

What suits a small leadership team's Christmas dinner?

The Private Dining Room at Twine Restaurant is booked exclusively for 20 seated, Gather has two private rooms beside its main dining room, and Leaves & Fishes has a Villa that seats 12 for private dining.

What's the most affordable way to feed a team in wine country?

Entry prices run from $42 per person at Harrigan's, from $52 per person for Twine's cocktail food, from $75 per person at Gather and from $80 per person at Ben Ean. Leaves & Fishes is priced differently, from $660 room hire with catering on top.