Lower Thames Street · London EC3R 6DX · Riverside · Awards & parties
Old Billingsgate: where the City throws its parties
Old Billingsgate was the fish market for a hundred and fifty years and is now one of the City's main event venues, sitting on the river between London Bridge and the Tower. Most of what happens there is black tie, in the evening, and finishes late.
More often than not. Awards ceremonies, Christmas parties and corporate dinners are the bulk of the calendar, which means dresses, dinner jackets and heels, a midnight finish and a group who should not be finding their own way home.
What most Old Billingsgate bookings are
The pattern is consistent enough to plan around.
Industry ceremonies
Drinks from seven, dinner, awards, and a bar afterwards.
December, heavily
The busiest month by far, and the hardest to get vehicles in.
Year round
Client entertaining and company events.
Midnight and beyond
Which is the practical point. Book the return for later than the invitation says.
Kent to the City
One of our shortest central London runs, straight up the A2.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Evening journey |
|---|---|---|
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 12 miles | 35–60 min |
| Bromley & Orpington | 13 miles | 35–60 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 17 miles | 40–70 min |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 23 miles | 50–80 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 27 miles | 50–80 min |
| Rochester & Chatham | 32 miles | 60–90 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 33 miles | 60–95 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 56 miles | 90–125 min |
December is different
Christmas party season is the single busiest period in our year, and this venue is at the heart of it.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Book in October | Not late November. December vehicles go early |
| Thursdays are worst | The traditional party night, and the hardest to cover |
| Finishes are late | Midnight or after, in the coldest month |
| Formal wear | Which needs room, and heels which do not walk far |
| Consider a later return | Rather than a hopeful one. Waiting is agreed at booking |
A City evening
Book the return later than the invitation
An awards dinner that says it finishes at eleven means the awards finish at eleven. The bar does not, and a group that has travelled in for a company event very rarely leaves at the stated time. We would rather set the collection at midnight or half past and have you leave early than have a vehicle sitting on Lower Thames Street for ninety minutes.
December needs booking in October
Christmas party season is our busiest stretch of the year and Old Billingsgate is one of the venues at the centre of it. Thursday nights in December are effectively spoken for by the autumn. If your company event is in the diary now, the vehicle should be too, and that is not a sales line, it is how the month works.
Formal wear changes the vehicle
Long dresses, dinner jackets and heels that will not manage a twenty-minute walk. It affects the size of vehicle a group needs, where we can reasonably drop, and how far anyone should be walking in December. Tell us it is black tie and we will plan the collection point accordingly.
It is close, and that is the selling point
Thirty-five minutes from Bexley, an hour from Medway. A Kent company can hold its Christmas party at a City riverside venue and have everyone home the same night without anyone driving or paying surge fares at one in the morning. Split across a table of ten, it costs very little each.
Old Billingsgate questions
Evening events on the river.
What sort of events are held there?
Mostly awards dinners, Christmas parties and corporate dinners. It is an evening venue and the great majority of what we do there is black tie.
What time should we book the return?
Later than the invitation suggests. The awards may finish at eleven but the bar does not, and groups rarely leave at the stated time.
When should we book for December?
October. Christmas party season is the busiest stretch of our year and Thursday nights in December are effectively spoken for by the autumn.
How far is it from Kent?
Around twelve to fifty-five miles, roughly thirty-five minutes from Bexley to two hours from east Kent. One of our shortest central London runs.
Does black tie affect the booking?
Yes. Long dresses and heels affect vehicle size and how far anyone should reasonably walk, particularly in December. Tell us and we will plan the collection point.
Where do you collect?
Close by, on a road where a vehicle can legally wait. Lower Thames Street and the surrounding City streets have restrictions, so we confirm the point in advance.
Can we be invoiced?
Yes, against a corporate account with VAT shown separately, which is how most company events here are handled.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking including the waiting, whatever time the bar closes.
City venues and evenings
Corporate and seasonal events.