The 5 Best Christmas Party Nights in Birmingham for 2026

Christmas party nights in Birmingham for 2026 run right across December, and the standout is the Winter Carnival at the ICC on Centenary Square — a 3-course dinner, a full production show and dancing until 1am, from £99.60 per person. Tables are shared, so groups of 8 to 200 are all welcome on the same night, whether you're a team of ten or the whole company.

Birmingham has more Christmas party options than almost any UK city outside London — from large-scale shared events to private dinners. Below are the five best for a team this year, in the order we'd recommend them: starting with our own, then the honest alternatives depending on your group size and budget.

What makes a good Birmingham Christmas party night?

Before you book anything, three things matter more than the rest.

• What's actually included. A cheap ticket that's just a room and a DJ isn't cheaper once you've added drinks, entertainment and food. Compare like for like — production, catering and what's in the ticket.
• Location and getting home. A city-centre venue means taxis, trains and hotels are all on the doorstep. Out-of-town venues can mean a long, expensive journey at 1am.
• Group size. Shared party nights work for almost any size because you book a table, not the venue. If you're a whole company, exclusive hire may suit you better.

1. Winter Carnival at the ICC — the pick for most teams

If you want a proper Christmas party — dressed up, sat down for dinner, then on your feet for the show — this is the one. It's held in the ICC, a 5-star venue five minutes' walk from New Street, and the evening is fully produced from the moment the doors open.

Here's how the night runs:

• Doors from 6:30pm, with a drinks reception at 7pm
• A 3-course dinner served from 8pm, with freshly brewed coffee or tea
• A welcome drink included in every ticket
• Full production entertainment and dancing through to 1am
• Midnight breakfast rolls from 11pm (VIP and Super VIP)

Dates for 2026: Friday 4, Saturday 5, Friday 11, Saturday 12, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 December. Thursday dates (3, 10 and 17 December) are available for exclusive hire — more on that below.

Tables are secured with a £20 per person deposit, and provisional bookings are held for 10 days.

2. ICC Exclusive Hire — the whole venue, just your company

If you're a larger business and want the room to yourselves, the Thursday dates (3, 10 and 17 December 2026) are available for exclusive hire. Same production, same catering, same team — but a private night built entirely around your company, with pricing on request. It suits companies of roughly 200-plus who want the Christmas party to feel like theirs rather than a shared night.

Enquire about exclusive hire →

3. NEC Christmas Parties — the large-scale alternative

The NEC's Christmas party (run by Vivid Experience) is the biggest shared event in the Midlands, hosting around 25,000 guests across the season. The 2026 theme is Moroccan Fire Nights, held at the NEC itself — roughly nine miles from the city centre. Tickets typically run from around £62 to £107pp depending on tier and date.

If a huge out-of-town venue with a headline entertainment format is what you're after, it's a genuine option. The trade-off is scale: you're one table among many hundreds, and it's a drive from the centre rather than a walk from New Street.

Read our honest NEC vs ICC Christmas party comparison →

4. Private venue hire in Birmingham

Several Birmingham hotels and venues offer private Christmas party hire — the Grand Hotel Birmingham, Park Regis on Broad Street, Hotel Indigo and Edgbaston Cricket Ground among them. Private hire usually costs more per head than a shared night and needs a minimum-numbers guarantee, but you get full control: your own DJ, your own menu, no other companies in the room. Budget from around £75–£130pp for a managed package.

5. Festive activity nights — for smaller, informal teams

If your team is small or you'd rather keep it casual, a bottomless brunch, a festive activity night or a private restaurant booking can be a good shout. You lose the big-night-out feel of a full party, but for a group of six or eight who want something low-key, it can be the right call.

What our guests say

Which option is right for your team?

If you're organising for a team of 8–40, a shared party night is almost always better value than private hire — you get a fully produced event without paying for empty seats. For groups based in or near the city centre, the ICC is the obvious choice: it's walkable from New Street and Moor Street, and the Winter Carnival production is a step up from most hotel party nights.

For larger groups of 50-plus who are happy with an out-of-town venue and want the biggest spectacle, the NEC is worth a look. And for 50-plus who want to stay central but private, hotel and venue hire is worth pricing up.

Birmingham Christmas party FAQs