Corporate Christmas Party Venues in Ponteland

Ponteland sits on the airport side of Newcastle, which turns out to be its biggest advantage as a Christmas party location. A city team can be out of town inside half an hour, nobody is fighting for a taxi at midnight, and parking is free almost everywhere. Around the village there is a cluster of golf and country-house estates, a large hall you can hire and fit out yourself, and several restaurants that will hand over a room.

The first decision is exclusive hire or a shared party night. A shared night is cheaper and needs no organising, but you share the room with other companies. Exclusive hire gives you the space, the music and the finishing time, usually on a minimum spend rather than a room fee.

Kirkley Hall

Kirkley Hall, the Grade II listed 17th-century hall just north of the village, is the most scalable option nearby. There are five main function rooms, four with ground-floor access, usable individually or combined for up to around 150, plus a separate exhibition hall that handles much larger numbers, so it works for a whole-company event as well as a departmental dinner. The rooms open onto the Italianate patio and the formal lawns, and it is roughly four miles from Newcastle Airport and eight from the city centre. Catering and festive menus are arranged with the venue.

Best for: A country-house setting for a larger company party, with genuinely flexible room sizes.

Close House

Close House, the championship golf resort a short drive south-west of Ponteland, runs both routes. There are shared party nights on set December dates alongside bespoke private parties on a date of your choosing, plus festive dining and a festive afternoon tea for teams who would rather have a long lunch than a late night. It has private dining and function rooms and bedrooms on site, so anyone travelling in can stay over. Saturdays go first, with two December Saturdays already sold out when we checked, so a Friday or a midweek private booking is often the realistic choice.

Best for: A party night with the option for the team to stay over.

Matfen Hall

Matfen Hall is the grandest option in range, a country house hotel, spa and golf estate in 300 acres west of Ponteland with 63 bedrooms. Festive menus run across its three dining rooms: Emerald, Northumberland's only AA 3 Rosette restaurant, the Cloisters in the original courtyard, and The Keepers. Private dining is available, and its New Year's Eve gala adds live music and a fireworks finish. This is the one for a client dinner or a small senior team where the cooking is the point rather than a disco.

Best for: A client dinner or small senior team party where the food matters most.

Ponteland Golf Club

Ponteland Golf Club on Bell Villas is the in-village choice. The clubhouse restaurant is used for club functions through the year and can be made available for private events for around 80 guests, with a lounge and cocktail bar next door for arrival drinks. It is a short walk from Main Street and there is club parking. Ask about a society-style package if you want golf first and dinner after.

Best for: An in-village sit-down dinner with easy parking.

The Highlander and The Hawk

The Highlander at Higham Dykes, a restored former coaching inn four miles north on the A696, publishes the clearest hire terms of anywhere local. The Green Room seats up to 24, the Arches takes up to 30 seated or standing and the restaurant up to 80, with exclusive use of the whole venue also available. There is no room-hire fee, only a minimum food and drink spend, food is pre-ordered, and both buffet and seated formats are offered.

Nearby, The Hawk reopened in May 2026 as a restaurant, bar and farm shop with 68 covers, its own parking, rooms upstairs and a kitchen built around Northumberland produce and dry-aged steaks. Group and festive bookings are arranged directly.

Best for: A relaxed countryside team meal with clear, published costs.

Restaurants that will give you a room

Rialto Ristorante Italiano on Main Street has a function room for up to 100 and will put together a bespoke menu, which makes it one of the largest sit-down options actually in the village. Fratelli Ristorante on Bell Villas has two areas seating 20 to 38, plus a mezzanine and a terrace, and a larger party can take the whole restaurant. Both are walkable from the Main Street and Bell Villas car parks.

Best for: A 20 to 100 cover sit-down meal without leaving Ponteland.

Hire the space and do it your way

If you want full control of the format, Ponteland Memorial Hall on Darras Road is the obvious candidate. The main hall measures 24m by 9m, has a large stage and takes up to 300, and there is a catering kitchen, a licensed bar in the lounge and car parking. Banquet, Celebration and Small Celebration packages are offered as well as room-by-room hire. Bookings are self set-up and clear-down, so build in time and a few willing volunteers, but for a big staff party with your own caterer and band it is the cheapest route to a large room. Ponteland Rugby Club at the Leisure Centre on Callerton Lane is worth an enquiry too, though it does not publish hire terms, so contact the club directly.

Best for: A large DIY party with your own caterer and entertainment.

Before you book

Ask four things early: is the date exclusive or shared, is the price a per-head package or a minimum spend, what time do the bar and music stop, and how do deposits and final numbers work. December Saturdays at the estate venues go first, so a Thursday or Friday gives you far more choice, and a January party opens up dates long gone by December.

Run a venue in or around Ponteland that takes corporate Christmas bookings? Get in touch.