Whether you're a local Londoner or a first time visitor to the city specifically for your event, all of our featured venues to hire in London are well connected via good nearby transport links and sit within enviable locations in popular areas of Central, East and West London. Our top picks also come in all sorts of sizes, with venues that offer both partial and full hire, meaning there’s something for every budget.
110,000 square feet of flexible, bright and design led space in Shoreditch suitable for every event, meeting or shoot.
Over 110,000 square feet situated in the heart of trendy Shoreditch, Shoreditch Exchange offers an unparalleled event experience. Highly versatile and varied spaces - purpose built event spaces, meeti... Read more
A unique event space in the heart of Camden Market. 700 Capacity over three rooms with a 2am licence.
The venue consists of three connected spaces, including the industrial style Warehouse (500 standing, 200 seated), The Club (100 standing, 80 seated), and our Grade 2 listed stables (200 standing, 100... Read more
East London's most versatile, creative event space. All bookings support emerging artists and the creative community.
The Art House is East London’s most versatile, creative event space. All hires support emerging artists and the creative community through our grant and residency programmes, as well as providin... Read more
The independent arts venue in the heart of Shoreditch.
Stage your event in a five-storey Shoreditch landmark – whatever your ambitions, Rich Mix have a space that will work for you. Located on Bethnal Green Road just a stone’s throw fr... Read more
Rustic Railway Arch with exposed brick walls and lots of character
Railway Arch conversion. The space has two entrances and DDA compliant. This is a perfect space for those who require space to build their event. Easy access from the main road. This space is full of ... Read more
Gorgeous, quirky location, bar & live music venue in Hoxton
Folklore is a superb live music location split into two sparkly sections- Live stage/ 100 cap dancefloor in the secret back space & chill/breakout bar (40 cap) at the front! The vib... Read more
Contemporary retail experience and changeable story space
Located at 62–64 Southampton Row HELLO LOVE is a contemporary retail experience and changeable story space that gives artists and brands a place to co-create and present. The venue is spread bet... Read more
Dry hire venue, a hidden gem in the heart of London.
Dry hire venue located in the heart of Clerkenwell, the Crypt on the Green offers a magnificent venue for exhibitions, wedding receptions, wine tastings, conferences, live performances and much more. ... Read more
In the beautiful Zaha Hadid extension of Serpentine Gallery
Set in the beautiful Zaha Hadid extension of Serpentine North Gallery, The Magazine is an inspiring and contemporary work of art. The venue lends itself well to Private Dining, Corporate Receptions, P... Read more
Large 1400 capacity venue which incorporates the UK’s largest beer hall, a flexible event space, and a huge garden
Big Penny Social in Blackhorse Lane incorporates the UK’s largest beer hall, flexible event space, and a huge sunny beer garden with a total capacity of over 1,400 people. We are an incredibly v... Read more
13 Indoor Venues and 45 Acres of Space. Private function experts from Conferences, to Weddings, to Festivals.
The Hive stands as London's preeminent destination for hosting celebrations, banquets, and events, nestled in the heart of North London. Our opulent venue, reminiscent of the grandeur found in ... Read more
Immersive bar & event space with VR setup
Unlike any other venue in London. Whether you're organising a team-building day, looking for a complete hire for your unique event, celebrating, or anything in between, OTHERWOR... Read more
Georgian Townhouse with periodic features throughout
Asia House is a beautiful Grade II* listed Georgian Town House in central London. Hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street and Regent Street, our venue is highly flexible and can accomm... Read more
A multi-use canalside venue with several indoor and outdoor events spaces.
Hackney Bridge is a multi-use, canalside venue that is home to creative coworking studios, independent retail stores and a dedicated events spaces. The street food kitchen features an array of cuisine... Read more
A stunning period venue with 5 versatile event spaces
One Birdcage Walk is the purpose built home for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a Royal Chartered Institution that was formed in 1847 by George Stephenson. We operate as a not for profit... Read more
Curating an art exhibition is hard work,
after all, you have to get a group of artists together and anything that has
the word ‘collaborative’ in it is never going to be easy! Yet when it all comes
together, you’re not only producing a collection of powerful artworks that will
speak to those who view it, you’re also publicising the individual artists in
their own right. If you have an idea for an exhibition, then the best way to
start organising is by jumping straight in.
Ask Yourself Why
The most important first step when it comes
to organising a large exhibition, is why you want to do it. What is it about
your idea that you believe people need to see? Is there a certain topic that
you wish to explore? Or is it just that you think local artists need some more
exposure? Are you looking to exhibit a blend of different art, from sculpture,
to oil painting, charcoal drawing and visual, interactive art? Whatever your
reason, make sure that you have a set of goals planned and written down that
you can focus your exhibition towards. This will prevent the work you are
curating going off on a tangent that you hadn’t envisioned and help to focus
your adverting to your preferred audience.
Choose Your Theme
Choosing your theme is what will bring all
of your artwork together. You will need to make it narrow enough that all of
the artists have parameters to stay within, but broad enough to allow for
unusual interpretations that will encourage the biggest range to apply to be a
part of your exhibition. This might be something that you’ve had in mind for a
while, or something that you need to come up with now that you’ve decided to go
ahead with curating. Whatever the answer, make sure that you ask a few artists
what they think of it before releasing an invitation to submit work. It’s
always good to get a few opinions on a theme before finalising it.
Get Artists Together
It’s now time to invite artists to join
your exhibition! If you know a lot of local artists in your area that you think
will fit your theme, ask them directly to submit a few pieces for your
consideration. You can also open it to a wider audience by issuing a call on
social media. You’ll need to make sure that your vision and theme are clear,
and the types of art that you are open to accepting. It’s likely that you will
get a large number of submissions, so limit the number of works that artists
can submit and give them a date that you will respond to them by. This will
prevent any emails asking for updates while you are in the midst of the
reviewing process.
Hire a Venue
While you can pitch your event to some
well-known galleries, sometimes it’s much easier to hire out a venue yourself.
After all, you know that your exhibition is worth seeing, why do you need to go
through the hassle of proving that to galleries when you can hire a space that
will be completely your own? While you might only be able to keep the
exhibition open for a few days, this will be more than enough time to promote,
have an opening event, and get interested parties down to view the work. If
there’s a time-limit involved, people might be even more inclined to make an
effort to seek out the exhibition. There are a huge variety of art galleries
for hire in London, all with their own unique atmosphere to them. This means
that you’re sure to find the one that suits the artwork that you are curating
perfectly, and you can kit it out in whatever way you want.
Get Promoting
You need to start to advertise your curated
exhibition as early as you can in order to garner interest from all around the
art community. It’s important that you develop a solid media plan that includes
a press release that can be handed out to all media that attend the opening of
the exhibition. Without a good press release, you’re unlikely to get much media
coverage. Send a copy of this out to all of your local media. Promoting online
and offline are equally important. You should have a poster advertising your
exhibition as well as flyers that can be placed in all of the local arts centres.
Social media advertising needs to be strategic and well planned in order to
reach the largest amount of people possible.
Have an Opening
An exhibition is nothing without its
opening. Get all of the artists together, invite some local art critics as well
as the general public, and try to make it as grand an affair as possible. The
audience will expect you to speak, but keep it short and remember to thank any
sponsors you have that helped to bring the exhibition into existence. It’s
always a good idea to have some caterers in to serve up canapes to your audience,
as well as some wine for them to sip while they mingle and view all of the
artwork. Ensure that there are copies of the catalogue available with up to
date pricings for any of the work that’s for sale. If you need to, hiring
someone who can deal with any prospective buyers is a huge plus and will help
the evening to run smoothly.
Curating an art exhibition where a number of different artists come together under one overarching theme is a huge achievement, and you shouldn’t sell yourself short when you’re the one that makes sure it all comes together. Introducing people to new artists and styles of art is its own reward, but you also need to give yourself a well deserved break once it’s all over.
Thanks to their incredible versatility and flexibility, galleries are becoming an increasingly popular option for hosting a wide range of different events. As well as hosting a wide range of art exhibitions, galleries also make a wonderful setting for many other events, including: • Product launches • Press events • Showcases • Fashion shows • Awards ceremonies • Post conference get together And, London is home to hundreds of galleries that provide the perfect venue for a wide range of special occasions, especially if you are looking to provide a unique dimension to your event.
A gallery is a room or building that is used for showing works of art, however, today, galleries tend to have multiple roles including supporting and promoting artists, and providing sources of financial management.
Yes, wedding receptions in galleries are becoming increasingly popular and provide an amazing setting for celebrating your special day in a way that is unique and memorable. And, the vast majority of London galleries are located close to hotels, excellent transport links, and plenty of amenities, meaning your guests will have everything they need to enjoy your wedding.
There are approximately 1,500 permanent exhibition spaces in the capital, reinforcing the fact that London continues to play a huge role in the city’s thriving arts and culture scene. The galleries are dotted throughout the city and not only attract Londoners but also visitors from across the UK and around the world. Many of London’s galleries are also set in some of the city’s most interesting historic buildings.
The majority of London’s art galleries are completely free to visit however, if you’re looking to book out a gallery to host an event, this will usually come at a cost. Costs are different depending on the status, size and location of the London gallery that you are looking to book. With this in mind, you will need to contact the gallery you are considering directly in order to get costs. As galleries are mostly free to visit in London, many experience high footfalls, making them the perfect space to showcase your artwork.