Best Shared Christmas Party for Groups of 40 in London

Forty is a different booking to twenty, even though both fall under "shared party" on paper. At this size you're usually not booking one team — you're booking a department, a floor, or several smaller teams combined, which changes what actually matters when you're picking a night: table layout, how the group is seated relative to each other, and whether the room can actually hold your energy without splitting people across opposite ends of the venue.

What changes at 40 guests

At 20 guests, one or two tables pushed together covers it. At 40, you're looking at four or five tables, and the question becomes whether your group reads as "one team's night out" or "forty separate seats in a big room." Both our shared venues are built to keep larger groups feeling cohesive — company tables are allocated as a block rather than scattered through the room — but it's worth flagging when you book, since it's the one thing that genuinely differs from a smaller booking.

The two options, and how to pick between them

• Cirque — the bigger production of the two, with aerial performers and stage acts throughout the night; at 40 guests you'll feel the scale of the room more than you would at 20, which tends to suit teams who want a proper "event" feeling rather than a low-key dinner. 11 dates, 27 November – 18 December 2026, from £85pp + VAT.
• Christmas at The Lodge — a calmer, more sociable atmosphere with the same three-course dinner and late bar, better suited to a group that wants to actually talk to each other over dinner before the night opens up. 8 dates throughout December 2026, from £88pp + VAT.

Both are at Coram's Fields, 93 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1DN, five minutes from Russell Square — genuinely useful to know if your 40 guests are coming from multiple office locations and need one easy, central meeting point.

Budgeting for a group of 40

The per-person structure means cost scales predictably, which matters more at this size — finance teams tend to want a number they can plan around, not a venue-hire quote with variables attached.

• Deposit: £30 + VAT per person — £1,200 + VAT to secure 40 seats, paid at booking.
• Balance: due at least three weeks out. At this headcount, that three-week window matters more than it sounds — it's your buffer to firm up exact numbers if a few people drop out or a couple of extras want to join.
• Total, from: roughly £3,400–£4,800 + VAT for Cirque at 40 guests depending on date, or £3,520–£4,200 + VAT for The Lodge, before any drinks upgrades.

Drinks packages at this scale

Standing everyone a package upfront tends to make more sense at 40 than running individual bar tabs — it's one line item for finance instead of forty separate ones. The three options, per person:

• Unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks — £46 + VAT
• Unlimited beer, wine, Prosecco and soft drinks — £54 + VAT
• 4× single spirit and mixer — £24 + VAT

At 40 guests that's £1,840 + VAT for the standard unlimited package, or £2,160 + VAT for the Prosecco upgrade — genuinely worth deciding as a group in advance rather than leaving it to individual spend on the night, both for budget predictability and so everyone's on the same package.

Coordinating arrival for a bigger group

Doors open at 6:30pm. For a group of 40 arriving from multiple offices or departments, it's worth nominating one point of contact to coordinate arrival rather than everyone turning up independently — the earlier your group is settled at its tables, the more of the sparkling reception everyone actually gets to enjoy before dinner is served. The night runs through to carriages at midnight, with the late bar and DJ set opening up once dinner wraps. These are 18+ events, dress is smart casual (jeans and trainers are fine), and there's a complimentary cloakroom — useful to flag in advance if your 40 are coming straight from the office with coats, bags and laptops in tow.

The point where it's worth at least checking exclusive hire

Forty is genuinely still comfortable shared-party territory — it's not a borderline case the way, say, 100 guests is. But if your 40 is actually the first phase of a bigger combined event (say, several departments who might grow the guest list closer to the date), it's worth knowing where the maths flips: our smallest exclusive venue, The Fountain Room, is built for 200–350 seated guests, so exclusive hire only starts competing with shared pricing per head once you're up around three figures. Below that, shared remains the better value, full stop.

"We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were mega impressed with the food, the service, the catering, the entertainment and the venue as a whole... a seamless experience throughout — from booking all the way to the event day." — Rothesay.com

Booking tips specific to larger shared groups

1. Confirm your date early — popular Fridays and Saturdays sell out fastest, and larger bookings need more available seats on a single night, which narrows your options faster than a small booking would.
2. Tell us upfront if your 40 is really "two teams of 20" — we'll try to keep sub-groups seated near each other even within one larger company allocation.
3. Get dietary requirements in early. At 40 people, the odds of needing to accommodate multiple allergies or dietary needs go up — and we handle that information carefully as a matter of course, not an afterthought.

Want to check what's actually still available for a group of 40? Get in touch and we'll talk you through the current Cirque and Lodge dates. Sitting closer to 100+ guests, or need the whole venue to yourselves? Our shared vs. exclusive guide breaks down exactly when exclusive hire starts to make more sense.