How much does a shared Christmas party in London cost per person?
The ticket price
Across the nineteen London shared parties we list, ticket prices run from £85 to £149 + VAT per person. They cluster in three bands:
- £85 – £99 + VAT — three parties, all on midweek or late-December dates. Sparkling reception, three-course seated dinner, entertainment, casino, DJ. Cash bar.
- £110 – £135 + VAT — the large-production middle. Funfairs, circus, six-piece bands, immersive theming. Drinks partly included or package-based.
- £140 – £149 + VAT — the all-inclusive tier. Four and a half hours of drinks in the ticket.
The drinks, which is where budgets actually go wrong
If drinks are not in the ticket, a package costs £45 to £55 + VAT per person — and at almost every venue it must be bought for the whole party, not just the guests who want it.
Worked example. Cirque on Wednesday 16 December is £85 + VAT. Add unlimited beers, wines and soft drinks at £46 + VAT and the real cost is £131 + VAT per person — £157 including VAT.
Compare that with Winter Wonderland Ball at £149 + VAT all-inclusive, which is £179 including VAT. The gap between the cheapest party on the site and a premium all-inclusive ball is about £22 a head, not £64.
Our drinks packages guide goes through every structure in the market.
VAT
Every price on this site is quoted excluding VAT, because that is how the operators publish them and how your finance team will book them. At 20%, a £125 + VAT ticket is £150 gross.
Be careful comparing across websites. Some quote gross, some net, and a net price looks 20% cheaper than a gross one for no reason other than presentation. Normalise everything to ex-VAT before you rank anything.
The costs nobody puts in the budget
- Transport home — most parties finish at 12:30am or 1am, past the last mainline trains. Either choose a venue near a late-running tube line, or budget for taxis.
- Bedrooms — several Tower Hill, St Paul's and North Greenwich venues have hotel rooms on site. Worth pricing if a chunk of your team travels in.
- Pay-on-the-night extras — dodgems and photobooths at some venues are pay-per-use. Tell your guests in advance, or they will assume the company is covering it.
- Spirits — rarely in a standard all-inclusive ticket. Either budget the Plus upgrade (£160–£180 + VAT) for everyone, or let guests use the cash bar.
What to budget, in one line
For a well-run London shared Christmas party where nobody has to reach for their wallet, budget £150 to £180 + VAT per person. Below £130 + VAT all-in means either a midweek date or a cash bar — both perfectly reasonable, but decide which rather than discovering it in December.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a reasonable per-head budget for a company Christmas party in London?
- £150 to £180 + VAT per person covers a good shared Christmas party with drinks included. £110 to £130 + VAT covers a solid midweek option with a cash bar. Below £100 + VAT all-in is achievable only on the quietest dates and without a drinks package.
- Are shared Christmas party prices per person or per table?
- Per person, excluding VAT, at every venue we list. Drinks packages are also per person — but usually have to be bought for every guest in the booking.
- Do prices change depending on the date?
- Substantially. Cirque ranges from £85 + VAT on Wednesday 16 December to £115 + VAT on Friday 11 December — a 35% swing for the identical event. Winters of the World moves between £125 and £180. If your date is flexible, that flexibility is the cheapest saving available to you.