Hens Party Venues Barangaroo

Not every hens party needs a big night out. Barangaroo, the harbourside precinct on the CBD's north-western edge, suits a hens celebration built around a long dinner with the bride's closest friends, with waterfront restaurants and bars nearby for drinks before or after. The listing here is the Private Dining Room @ Cardea, a velvet-clad, speakeasy-style room for up to 22 seated or 30 standing. It gives the group a space of its own for speeches, gifts and games without sharing the room with other diners.

Before booking, agree on:

• Transport and parking: Wynyard and Barangaroo stations are a short walk and ferries stop at Barangaroo wharf, while parking is paid, so it is easiest to leave the car at home.
• Venue style: an intimate speakeasy-style dining room with velvet furnishings, well suited to a dressed-up dinner.
• Capacity: up to 22 seated or 30 standing, which suits the bride's inner circle more than a large mixed group.
• Booking lead time: Saturday nights are the most requested dates for hens dinners, and with one private room, enquire as soon as the date is set with the bride.
• Catering and drinks: the room is booked from a $1,500 minimum spend, so agree early how the group will split it and what the menu and drinks include.

A dinner here works well as the centrepiece of the day. The group can meet for lunch or an activity elsewhere, sit down together at Cardea in the evening, then decide whether to kick on nearby or call it a night. For a hens group that includes mothers, aunts or friends who will not stay late, a private dinner gives everyone a proper part of the celebration, and the stations close by make it easy for each guest to head home when they are ready.