How does The Brewery come up with creative ideas for Christmas

September 13, 2023

Christmas parties are a fantastic way for your company to celebrate the end of the year and all that you’ve achieved. A key date in the corporate social calendar, your Christmas party should be one to remember and we understand that better than anyone else. That’s why we put in so much effort to plan fantastic corporate Christmas parties for everyone to enjoy.

You might be wondering what goes into our planning process for Christmas? We spoke to Simon, our brilliant Marketing Director, who has been with The Brewery for nearly 20 years and understands what it takes to create a memorable event. Read on to learn more about how The Brewery comes up with our amazing Christmas party themes, and how we turn them into reality.

Why is the theme never about Christmas?

The tradition of having an end-of-year party has always been about celebrating the past year’s achievements, having fun and letting your hair down, not necessarily about celebrating Christmas. We believe that having a theme allows all your guests to experience something different from a normal night out and gives them the opportunity to dress up and really become part of the experience.

Our themes are never specifically about Christmas as we want the parties to be inclusive for everyone to enjoy. Plus, in December, no matter where you go, we are all surrounded by Christmas decorations and music – we want to provide a different experience. But don’t worry, we still make sure that there is plenty of festive magic and spirit in everything we do for those who want it.

What is the process The Brewery follows to generate creative ideas for the Christmas theme each year?

We go through a long process when choosing our Christmas theme to make sure it’s right. First off, we try and identify recent and up-and-coming cultural trends as we want the chosen theme to resonate with people. Secondly, we look at what we’ve done in the past, picking and choosing the best bits that people really loved and using them as starting points.

Finally, we’re not ashamed to say that we also borrow some ideas we see at other events. At The Brewery, we host over 600 events a year and so many can provide fantastic inspiration for Christmas, as well as give us an insight into the latest industry trends.

How far in advance does The Brewery start planning for the Christmas theme?

We always try and be one step ahead of the game and plan as far in advance as possible. Usually, we start to think about ideals approximately 16 months in advance as we need to have next year’s concept ready for when the current year’s parties roll around. For example, we’re already looking at the 2026 concept now, and next summer, we’ll be looking at 2027!

For us, we’ve found it very important to be organised as we get many new and repeat clients looking to book for the following year, and we don’t like to disappoint.

Does The Brewery collaborate with external suppliers to bring the Christmas theme to life?

Yes! We work with a number of partners to bring our event to life, including:

• Encore for our AV services
• Table Art for our table decorations
• Creative Draping for our room décor
• Hybrid for our grand floral entrances and decorations.

We also work very closely with Young Guns, Peloton and Hogarth for the entertainment element of our corporate Christmas parties.

Can you share some examples of particularly successful or memorable Christmas themes?

I would have to say one of our most recent successful themes was in 2022 when we created our fictional 70’s New York Nightclub, ‘The Fairytale of New York’. We really put a lot of effort into creating the back story and brand for the club to make the guests really feel like they were stepping back in time, taking part in a piece of history and having the chance to visit their own Studio 54.

For me, two of the most memorable Christmas events held at The Brewery were ‘An Extraordinary Evening in Peculiar Wood’ and ‘Enchantment’. For both of these events, we created amazing content, working with external artists to bring the event to life. For example, we worked with the super-talented puppeteers from War Horse to bring the story of Terry the Fox to life for Peculiar Wood and create huge paintings that interacted with each other for Enchantment.

What’s the Christmas theme for 2026?

2026's theme is a theme within a theme. Step back in time to a 1950s-style prom at Chiswell Valley High. The Brewery will be transformed to represent the high school where the prom takes place. The name of the prom is Enchantment Under The Ocean, so expect a a mix of underwater and high-school elements throughout the entire venue.

Is it possible to have a custom-themed corporate party at The Brewery during Christmas?

Unfortunately not. As we theme the whole venue throughout December so it’s a fully immersive experience, it is very difficult to change that to a custom-themed party. We can, however, offer exciting and special extras to enhance your corporate Christmas event such as fun entertainment ideas and creative catering additions.

If you’re looking to host a corporate Christmas party and love the sound of Enchantment under the Ocean, look no further than The Brewery. We’re committed to delivering an exceptional experience and can help you every step of the way to create a wonderful Christmas event that will leave everyone wanting more. Contact us today to learn more about what we can offer this Christmas.