Christmas Party Venues in the Inner West

What to Know Before Booking Christmas Party Venues

Office location usually settles where an Inner West Christmas party lands. A team working near the University of Sydney or RPA has Camperdown on its doorstep, a Parramatta Road crew can walk to Annandale, and staff spread along the western train line can meet in Burwood or Petersham without anyone crossing town.

Camperdown also handles the largest numbers. Courtyard Restaurant & Bar @ HostCo Sydney on Science Road takes 500 standing or seats 200 under festoon lights, from $105 per person, and Bligh AB @ Rydges Camperdown on Missenden Road holds 150 standing with three built-in projectors for the year-in-review slides.

Sizing the work party to the room:

A team of 20 to 35: Private Room @ Flight Path Wine Bar on Enmore Road, from $15 per person, Fiesta Party Room @ Vecino with its own bar and balcony, or the ground floor dining room at Postino Osteria, 37 seated near Summer Hill station
A department of 60 to 100: The Henson in Marrickville can be taken exclusively by 60 to 100, Ecco Ristorante's Terrace Room and deck in Drummoyne seats 60 to 100 by the harbour, and The Pavilion @ Camperdown Commons takes 100 standing beside an urban farm
The whole company standing: Stanley 2204 on Livingstone Road holds 400 in 700sqm, from $2,000 minimum spend, Albert Palais, a 1930s Leichhardt ballroom, seats around 200 to 300, and The Imperial Erskineville's Main Bar holds 370 cocktail style
Staff who'd rather be doing something: private bowling lanes for 70 at Room 300 @ Kingpin North Strathfield, two pool tables and a jukebox for 120 at Courtyard & Pool Room @ The Cricketers in Balmain, or a darts and pool tournament at Club 9 for 50 to 400
End-of-year drinks up high: Semi-Private Rooftop Bar @ Skye Bar & Lounge on level 11 in Burwood holds 150, from $70 per person, or The Royal Oak's top floor in Balmain gives 140 a private bar and balcony

Weeknight dates stretch a Christmas budget at a few venues. Midweek, Private Dining Room @ Osteria di Russo & Russo costs from $1,000 minimum spend, and The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre offers whole-venue hire Monday through Thursday plus Sunday evenings.

On Bay Street in Glebe, The Glebe Hotel spreads a party between its Stables dining room for 70, the loft upstairs, a beer garden under a big fig and a first-floor cocktail lounge, from $1,000 minimum spend
Bligh AB has individually controlled heating and cooling, hotel staff on hand during the event and rooms upstairs for colleagues travelling in
Forest Lodge Hotel waives room hire for 40 to 180, with seated menus from $42 per person; The Harold on Ross Street gives a team The Saddlery upstairs, with its own large bar, and the Camperdown Hotel's function room is free to hire for 20 to 125
Food at The Welcome Hotel is share-style from Head Chef Jamie Ayling, Courtyard @ Elliott's in Balmain serves a shared chef's menu in pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan versions, from $90 per person, and Mestizo Bar and Cuisine serves Latin American menus seated, as a buffet or as canapés

Work parties that skip the function room

A daytime team picnic and swim at Pavilion @ Dawn Fraser Baths in Balmain, with no corkage on drinks you bring, from $65 per hour venue hire
Book the whole Hawke's Brewing venue in Marrickville and a brewery tour can join the programme, with Lucky Prawn canapés from $50 per person
Tiki 33 Bar on King Street hires out whole for 100 with karaoke and a DJ setup, from $2,000 minimum spend; nearby on Enmore Road, Jacoby's Tiki Bar will also consider opening outside its usual trading hours for a private event
Empire Karaoke and K Galaxy Karaoke Burwood suit a smaller team singing in a private room, from $8 per person per hour

Venues for Christmas Parties: Your Questions Answered

Which Inner West venue can host a Christmas party for several hundred staff?

Camperdown's Courtyard Restaurant & Bar @ HostCo Sydney takes 500 standing and Stanley 2204 in Marrickville takes 400, as does the Basement club at The Imperial Erskineville on Erskineville Road. For a pub setting, the Main Stage and Bar at The Botany View Hotel on King Street holds 185 with a stage, sound and lighting.

Can a work Christmas party avoid room hire charges in the Inner West?

Several pubs don't charge it. Forest Lodge Hotel offers complimentary room hire, none of the spaces at Rozelle's Bald Rock Hotel carries a hire fee, and the private function room at The Annandale Hotel, for up to 70, has no minimum spend. Booking The Beer Garden @ The Merton Hotel, a Rozelle pub garden with a retractable roof and heaters, carries no fee either. The Camperdown Hotel's function room carries no hire charge either, with a bar tab set at whatever level suits.

Where could a team run awards or a slideshow ahead of the drinks?

Bligh AB @ Rydges Camperdown is fitted with three projectors and screens plus integrated sound. Room 300 at Kingpin can be set for a presentation before bowling, and The Salisbury Hotel in Stanmore keeps a large TV in its split-level Hall and Loft. In Homebush West, the Wentworth Hotel's Original Sports Bar has two 98-inch screens with HDMI for up to 50, from $2,000 minimum spend. At The Harold in Forest Lodge, the TVs and sound system in The Saddlery handle the presentations for up to 120 cocktail style.

Which venues suit a Christmas lunch instead of a night out?

The Glebe Hotel offers set menus including a long lunch for groups of 12 or more. The Back Dining room at the White Cockatoo Hotel suits work lunches for up to 50, and Pavilion @ Dawn Fraser Baths takes bookings from 6:30am.

Christmas Party Venues in Inner West

See Your Christmas Party Venue Options in Inner West