Party hire

Looking for an exciting venue for your child’s birthday party? Or a local venue to celebrate an anniversary or special birthday? The Horniman can cater for your party needs.

Our venues have hosted all kinds of celebrations and occasions including special birthdays, baby showers, anniversaries and summer parties.

Our Pavilion, Conservatory and Bandstand are all beautiful spaces suitable for functions of different sizes. 

The Horniman has its own on-site licensed Café which offers a daily selection of freshly prepared sandwiches, hot meals and homemade cakes. The Horniman Café can provide drinks, lunches and afternoons teas for hires on site.

For a more bespoke offering including seated dinners and weddings, the Horniman’s dedicated catering company are Suzanne James Ltd who can create a tailor-made menu for your event.

With an enviable reputation in London for providing delicious, inspiring, innovative food with spectacular, cutting edge presentation, the chefs at Suzanne James use only the finest, freshest organic ingredients.

“I have received lovely feedback across the board, with people sending their thanks to you for being so welcoming and approachable, and for helping make such a significant date for us a positive experience. Several people have said it was ‘perfect’!” Hannah

Children’s Parties

Here at the Horniman we are the ultimate family destination. Surrounded by our beautiful Gardens, next to the Animal Walk and Butterfly House, and within easy reach of the Museum’s exhibitions and galleries, the Pavilion is the perfect place for family and friends to have fun.

We have a ready-made children’s party package to cover every aspect of your child’s birthday celebration including venue hire, catering, entertainers and more. 

You can book exclusive hire of the Pavilion for two hours on a Sunday for £280. This includes:

  • Private use of the space;
  • Birthday bunting;
  • Use of our PA system to play music; and
  • An event assistant.

To make your party extra special you can add on:

  • Book a storyteller or entertainer from our list of brilliant suppliers;
  • A visit to the Aquarium or Butterfly House.

Catering is provided by the Horniman Café.

Our spaces

Conservatory hire

The Horniman Conservatory is a striking venue which makes a gorgeous setting for your event.

Bandstand hire

Looking for a bijou backdrop for a drinks reception or photography shoot? Our Bandstand is the space for you.

Pavilion hire

Our bright and airy Pavilion is a contemporary venue which includes a large outside terrace overlooking the Gardens.

Natural History Gallery hire

With unique historic character, our Natural History Gallery is an unconventional location for filming and photography hire.