
Interested in beer, history, literature and the industrial revolution? Well, then, Reading in Berkshire, UK, is the place to be. The city, located on the River Thames and the Kennet and Avon Canal, is just the place to go for some fine dining and excellent shopping.
Giggster has several party spots and event venues in Reading, whether you want to celebrate a milestone celebration or just a cosy birthday with your immediate family. Find the ideal venue for corporate events and private parties alike in a delightful Indian restaurant with some tucked-away corners where you can discuss business or your private affairs. On the other hand, an exclusive hire of a manor and its entire grounds can make for the party of a lifetime. The lawns and courtyards make for a tranquil setting despite the grandeur and luxury of the estate.
If you're searching for the perfect venue for your next event, look no further than the Giggster app. We can provide you with a list of venues that will leave your guests staring in awe!
Giggster has an event space for every occasion and a birthday party is an easy one to accommodate! Whether you want private halls within the grounds of a manor or a penthouse with large glass windows and a spectacular view, we've got the right venue for all your needs!
Special occasions are best celebrated with loved ones gathered close and the Tithe Barn with its sloping roofs and rustic, aged aesthetics is just the place for it.
The quiet mezzanine floor of a gastropub is ideal for both business meetings and private birthday dinners with your friends.
Forget a party room and book out a rooftop terrace and bar instead which gets sun throughout the year but also provides shaded seating areas in case of rain.
A five-bedroom house with its own tennis court on a private island sanctuary is a unique venue that your guests will remember all their lives.
Exceptional Variety & Quality: Pick from 17 event spaces on Giggster, including historic and charming Reading manor houses or gastropubs that are set up to reflect the most modern, colourful, boho-chic tastes.
Hassle-Free Booking: When you're booking a property online, you'll want to know every single bit of information about the space, from whether it's easily accessible by wheelchair to the price per hour and the number of people it can accommodate. Find a venue at just £50/hour.
24-Hour Free Cancellation Policy: With all the stressors of party planning, we want to make the booking and cancellations as easy as possible. We allow you to cancel for free within 24 hours of confirmation just as long as you've booked the venue at least 48 hours prior to the birthday party.
Platform Protections: Finally, Giggster provides additional optional coverage against damages and liabilities. So go ahead and book Lower Earley British House without a care in the world!
You wouldn't want anything to come along and ruin the fun at the last minute on your special day, so take a look at the pros and cons of Reading before booking.
Advantages
Reading is one of the most beautiful cities in the UK and is surrounded by greenery and lovely countryside. If you're the outdoorsy type, you'll have plenty to do in your free time.
It's also got easy access to London and is well connected by train. Guests can travel up from the capital with no problem.
Reading is also a bustling city with excellent eateries and lots of culture. Finding food and entertainment for your party is no issue at all!
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, many of the Reading venues are large and sprawling locations that need to be fully booked out which isn't ideal for a small and intimate party.
There are also a limited number of venues so unless you book early, it's quite likely that you'll miss out.
If you're trying to get around by car, traffic congestion in Reading during rush hour is quite horrendous!
If you're in search of the perfect event space for your birthday bash, you're in luck. With Reading's 17 venues, we can guarantee that you'll find a space that will win your heart over. Just look through our website and book your favourite venue before someone else does!
Private House – Exclusive and Intimate Affairs. The perfect setting for a really quiet house party with your closest friends and family, a sprawling five-bedroom home either situated on a private island or a French country-style home with rustic touches is just the space if you don't want a big, loud, over-the-top party.
Banquet Hall – Party in Style. Banquet halls are amazing event spaces in that they're so versatile and convenient. A rustic barn with a sloping roof that doubles as an event space or a long ceremony room and private function room within a manor can be used for birthday parties just as much as charity galas and weddings.
Restaurant/Gastropub – Excellent Food and Service. A gastropub housed within a historic building that once served as a bank is definitely a unique birthday party location, especially so when the different function rooms and areas have such distinctive features, like mezzanine floors and vaults with glass ceilings. Many restaurant venues offer different party packages.
Rooftop Terrace – Party Under the Stars. A rooftop is a great location where your party guests can enjoy Reading's sunny skies and good weather by morning and by night—the individual tables mean that you can entertain different groups and flit about from one table to another to socialize. In-house services and food leave out any worries about catering.
Courtyard and Lawns – Aura of Grandeur. While this is typically an ideal venue for a wedding reception or an engagement party, there's no reason that it can't be used for a milestone birthday and grand celebration. Set out tables and chairs on the lawns to accommodate all your guests and leave enough room for any young kids to run about and have fun!
Event planners can offer you all manner of party packages but there's something about a birthday party that you have planned personally which cannot be matched.
Come Up with a Theme – Themes aren't just for kids. Any adult would love to dress up according to a theme, whether that's retro glam or a Bridgerton-style theme to suit the function rooms of a grand manor.
Make a Guest List – What's a birthday party without guests? It's your day so you choose how many people to invite and who they should be. But you need to send out invitations early so people can block the dates!
Choose Cake and Food – You can either hire someone to cater delicious food for the event and make a menu of your favourite items or host a potluck and let guests bring their own food. The birthday cake is of course traditional. But if you're not a fan you could always opt for pies or tarts.
Arrange for Entertainment – If there's enough room for a dance floor, why not hire a DJ so your guests can let their hair down? Some restaurants and pubs have their own in-house entertainment so communicate with the venue beforehand!
Planning a party involves a lot of expenses other than just picking one Reading venue and asking your guests over. But if you don't want to go overboard, let's see what you can do.
Play around with the date and time.
The venue hire is a big, unavoidable cost but even there, you can find ways to reduce expenses by hosting on a weekday afternoon. It'll work out to be much more reasonable than if you were to host on a Saturday evening, for example!
Bring your own food.
You can definitely choose someone to cater your event but if you're trying to cut down costs, buying some finger food and appetizers and laying them out works well enough. Add a personal touch to the birthday by baking individual cupcakes instead of a big birthday cake.
Come up with inexpensive party games.
You can discover the delights of party games and provide DIY entertainment to adults and kids at the same time! Games like Heads Up or other guessing games don't require too much space. You can also set up a cute photo booth in the corner and take a bunch of goofy photos to keep as mementoes.
When it comes to finding the perfect place to host everyone you know for the most extravagant birthday party of your life, Giggster's here to help! The main vault of an old bank with a retractable electric glass roof that has been turned into a restaurant or a modern French rustic country house, take your pick of the lot.