School Formal Venues in Melbourne's Inner South

Choosing the Right School Formal Venue

Black and gold walls in Toorak or arched windows over Albert Park Lake – the inner south's two formal venues give a graduating year very different backdrops, and both list school formals among the events they run.

Comparing them for the formal committee:

Seated cohort: the main room at Lincoln of Toorak holds a dinner for 380, and the Albert Park hall manages 400 at tables even with its dance floor laid.
The dance floor: Lincoln's is glossy white acrylic at the centre of the room; Lakeside's timber floor adjusts up to 7.2 metres square.
Screens for the slideshow: Lincoln has a 4m by 2.5m LED screen, and Lakeside has two projector screens, a PA and a stage.
Cost guide: Lakeside Pavilion is from $51 per person; Lincoln sets its packages out in downloadable brochures.
Arrivals and parking: Lincoln has 120 bays at the rear, entered from 8 Jackson Street, plus the Wilson car park attached to the building.

Lakeside Pavilion's covered balcony looks down over the lake, with clear roll-down sides for cooler nights, while Lincoln's foyer has a mini grand piano that plays itself.

Pre-dinner: Lincoln has cocktail tables for drinks before guests sit down, and Lakeside runs canapé packages of six, eight or ten items.
Dinner: Lakeside serves a plated menu of one, two or three courses, served alternately; Lincoln's in-house team cooks entrees, mains, sides and desserts and caters to dietary requirements.
Soft drinks: unlimited soft drinks are included in Lincoln's venue hire.
Speeches: Lakeside has two cordless microphones and a lectern, and Lincoln has audiovisual equipment for speeches.

Security, staff and set-up

Security: Lakeside Pavilion arranges security for each event.
Staff: wait and kitchen staff and a venue manager are included at Lincoln.
Bump-in: Lakeside builds a two-hour bump-in and one-hour pack-down into every booking, useful for a committee bringing its own décor.
Tours: Lincoln's team shows the room to anyone weighing it up before booking.

Common Questions About School Formal Venues

Can either inner south venue take a year group of 400?

Lakeside Pavilion seats 450 without a dance floor or 400 with one, and its hall holds 900 for a cocktail-style event. Lincoln of Toorak's reception room tops out at 380 seated.

Is there parking for parents dropping off?

Lincoln of Toorak has 120 bays across four levels at the rear and around 300 more in the attached Wilson car park.

Can a smaller year group use Lakeside Pavilion?

Yes – movable walls divide the hall, so a group of around 50 doesn't feel lost in it.

What does Lincoln of Toorak include in its hire?

Table set-up with gold candelabra centrepieces, black or white tablecloths, gold Tiffany chairs, glassware and crockery, the white acrylic dance floor, unlimited soft drinks, wait and kitchen staff and a venue manager.

School Formal Venues in Inner South

Inner South School Formal Venues, Compared