Christmas Party Venues in Manly

What to Know Before Booking Christmas Party Venues

Taking an office across the harbour for its end-of-year party is easier than it sounds, because the Manly ferry does the travelling and each venue here is close to the wharf or The Corso. What separates them is the format the team wants: a seated set menu, a canapé function with a drinks package, or a whole rooftop with its own bar.

Ways to run the work Christmas function:

Hugos Manly on Manly Wharf: one shared set menu for the group from $90 per person, or exclusive hire across the dining room, bar and deck for up to 150.
Manly Pavilion on West Esplanade: The Cove for a company-wide night of 200 seated or 300 standing, or the upstairs private dining room for a leadership dinner of 20.
Manly Pavilion's bistro group tables: up to 30 guests on the set menu, a simple option for a small team.
Rooftop Garden Bar @ New Brighton Hotel: the whole garden roof over The Corso for a team of up to 75, against a $3,500 minimum spend.
Harbourview Room & Atrium @ Manly Skiff Club: 40 seated in the room alone, or 110 for cocktails once the covered deck is opened up, from $69 per person.

If most staff head home across the harbour afterwards, a Tuesday to Thursday date late in the year, with the ferry home in mind, can suit the team better than a Saturday, and a long lunch is an option at several of these venues.

Hugos Manly builds vegetarian, vegan and gluten free choices into all three of its set menus, with courses shared or served alternately.
At Manly Pavilion, every meat but pork carries halal certification (the preparation doesn't), and other dietary needs are looked after, which is worth knowing for some colleagues.
The Skiff Club kitchen needs dietary details a week before the function, and can serve the team a shared banquet or plated courses dropped alternately.
Up on the New Brighton roof, the menu leans generously towards vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes.

Bar tabs, packages and the MD's speech

Over Christmas, New Brighton Hotel offers a rooftop Christmas package: five hours in the space, antipasto grazing, canapés, desserts to share and a set bar tab.
At Hugos Manly, groups of 20 or more can add a three-hour drinks package of sparkling, wine, beer, cider and soft drinks, on a standard or premium list.
Skiff Club functions pair 4.5-hour drinks packages with a manager who looks after the night and staff on the floor.
For the year-in-review slides, there's a PA and screen up on the roof, while the Harbourview Room has in-house AV with a screen and projector.

Venues for Christmas Parties: Your Questions Answered

What's the biggest Christmas function Manly can host?

Manly Pavilion's The Cove holds 200 for a seated dinner or 300 for a cocktail party. For a team of up to 150, Hugos Manly can be booked exclusively across its dining room, bar and deck on the wharf.

Is a daytime Christmas lunch possible in Manly?

Yes. Hugos Manly opens seven days for lunch and dinner, Manly Pavilion's bistro starts at midday on weekdays, and the rooftop takes bookings from 10am, which makes a long lunch workable at each.

Where can our team have the space entirely to itself?

Nobody shares the Rooftop Garden Bar @ New Brighton Hotel with other groups; it goes to one party as a complete floor. Hugos Manly offers exclusive venue hire, Manly Pavilion will hand over its upstairs restaurant and terrace exclusively, and the Harbourview Room is a private room with its own bar.

What's the easiest way for city-based staff to get to Manly?

The ferry from Circular Quay lands at Manly Wharf, where Hugos Manly is located. Staff can walk to the Skiff Club's Harbourview Room & Atrium in around five minutes, and Manly Pavilion faces the cove from West Esplanade.