60 Great Queen Street, formerly Freemasons’ Hall, provides a spectacular setting for festive celebrations, where Christmas is reimagined through the lens of 1920s glamour. Masquerade and The Gatsby Club offer two distinctive Christmas party experiences ran by Smart Parties (part of Smart Group) that combine theatrical styling and immersive storytelling, brought to life in one of London’s most significant Art Deco landmarks.
The concepts draw on the building’s own heritage. Constructed between 1927 and 1933, historic Freemasons’ Hall was conceived and completed during the inter-war years when jazz, masked balls and lavish celebrations formed part of London’s social scene. This historical relevance gives the themes a natural authenticity, allowing the building itself to become a central character in the storytelling.
Masquerade is a theatrical festive spectacle and a journey through the venue’s most famous spaces. Guests are welcomed through the iconic Tower Doors and Cloakroom before gathering in the Vestibules around a centrally positioned mirrored bar. The evening unfolds in the Grand Temple, a breathtaking setting for dining and dancing beneath its intricate mosaic ceiling.
Accommodating up to 300 guests seated or 1,200 for a reception, Masquerade can be booked exclusively for private Christmas parties. Winter 2025 saw the introduction of a shared Christmas party night, achieving strong ticket sales, exceeding the 75% capacity target and opening the experience to a wider audience.
The Gatsby Club offers a more intimate, speakeasy-inspired celebration. Guests begin the evening in a Prohibition-themed lounge within the Gallery’s anteroom before being led via a lit walkway into the main Gallery. The Gatsby Club can host up to 220 guests seated or 400 exclusive guests.
Both experiences have been chosen by leading global brands including Meta, Rightmove, Trustpilot and Skyscanner to host their Christmas celebrations.

The festive atmosphere at 60 Great Queen Street is created through a careful balance of historic character and immersive event design. As a Grade II* listed landmark, the venue’s preserved Art Deco spaces, including the Grand Temple, Vestibules, Cloakroom and Gallery, provide authentic backdrops for both Christmas party themes, complementing the added production.
Original period details have been carefully preserved throughout the building, offering existing décor that elevates the guest experience. Features like the original, fully operational cloakroom immerses guests in history, offering an authentic experience impossible to replicate. The venue’s monochrome stone exterior and richly patterned interiors naturally suit classic 1920s colour palettes, with deep jewel tones, metallic accents and festive highlights enhancing the architectural detail.
For both Masquerade and The Gatsby Club, rich draping, luxurious fabrics and opulent textures are introduced to heighten the sense of occasion and seasonal celebration. Thematic styling, including pearl-adorned table centrepieces, Venetian mask detailing and custom-designed Prohibition-era artwork, reinforces the narrative while allowing the heritage of the building to remain central.
Lighting plays a key role in shaping the guest experience, with production partner Oxygen managing 372 light fixtures throughout the spaces. Drinks receptions begin with a moody, candlelit atmosphere creating warmth and a sense of anticipation, evoking the glamour of 1920s soirées. As the evening progresses, lighting transitions become more dynamic, with visually spectacular effects on the dancefloor that energise the space.
Music underpins the journey throughout, with live jazz and carefully curated soundtracks setting the tone before evolving into high-energy entertainment. The result is an immersive, sophisticated experience that encourages colleagues to connect and celebrate. This carefully crafted balance of atmosphere and energy ensures the venue appeals to a broad spectrum of corporate bookers, making it a commercially compelling option for Christmas parties of all sizes.

Sustainability and responsibility are embedded across every stage of Christmas party delivery at 60 Great Queen Street, beginning with the venue itself. As a Grade II* listed historic landmark, the continued preservation and adaptive use of Freemasons’ Hall, maximises the life of an existing building rather than relying on temporary structures or new developments.
As part of Smart Group, all Christmas party bookings are invited to opt into the Green Levy, a sector-first initiative that supports carbon offsetting and global environmental and social projects. A portion of the levy also supports City Harvest, helping rescue surplus food and redistribute it to communities in need. In addition to financial support, the team volunteers at City Harvest’s warehouse, contributing hands-on assistance. Recent volunteer days have helped rescue approximately 13 tonnes of food, distribute nearly 30,000 meals and prevent around 32 tonnes of carbon emissions.
CSR is embedded across all operations. Catering from Moving Venue prioritises fresh, seasonal produce with a strong emphasis on British sourcing, supporting local suppliers such as HG Walter for butchery and Enotria&Coe for wine, ensuring high-quality ingredients while reducing food miles.
Through careful menu design, portion control and operational planning, waste is minimised across catering and service. Moving Venue operates a zero-to-landfill commitment and sustainable kitchen practices, including investment in an aerobic food waste digester, as well as achieving a 19% year-on-year reduction in food waste.
In 2024, Moving Venue launched the Catering Academy, a programme designed to upskill talent and future-proof the industry, addressing post-Covid workforce challenges while embedding sustainable best practices across partner venues.
From a production perspective, Oxygen prioritises energy-efficient LED lighting, reusable and recyclable set materials and low-impact technical solutions.
Together, these measures ensure Christmas parties at 60 Great Queen Street are delivered responsibly, with care for people, place and the future.

Food and drink are central to the Christmas party experience, designed to reflect festive indulgence and historic grandeur. Catering is delivered by Moving Venue, an event caterer with 40 years of experience, recognised for quality, creativity and consistency. Their expertise has been acknowledged through major industry awards, including in 2025; Event Caterer of the Year at the Foodservice Cateys and Caterer of the Year (over £7m turnover) at the London Venue Awards.
Innovation underpins the catering approach through Moving Venue’s Monthly Menu Development Initiative, led by Group Executive Chef David Ridgway. This collaborative programme ensures menus remain fresh, seasonal and creatively led, celebrating British produce while incorporating global influences.
Canapés set the tone for the evening with elegant, flavour-led selections such as London-cured smoked salmon bagels. For seated dinners, starters include dishes like a warm roast Mediterranean vegetable tart with fig chutney, parmesan, sunflower seed and basil crunch, showcasing a balance of texture, flavour and visual appeal. Main courses offer indulgent yet considered options, including lemon-thyme butter roast Cornish chicken with rosemary roast potatoes, spiced parsnip cream, winter vegetables and tarragon sauce, or a vegetarian root vegetable Wellington with maple-glazed carrots, Savoy cabbage, roast potatoes and peppercorn sauce. Each dish is designed to feel celebratory while complementing the scale and sophistication of the historic setting.
Guests also had the opportunity to enhance their experience with additional canapés and interactive food stations, such as the Sushi Station, Seafood Bar, Mozzarella Bar and Middle Eastern Mezze Bar adding theatre and variety to the evening. Bespoke cocktail menus further elevate the experience, with signature serves such as a Maple Old Fashioned, Apple Cranberry Moscow Mule and Cinnamon Blackberry Mocktail aligned with the Gatsby and Masquerade themes.

Smart Parties have exclusively delivered Christmas parties at the venue since 2017, establishing a long-standing and successful partnership that laid the foundations for a deeper collaboration between Smart Group and Freemasons’ Hall. As a direct result of the continued success and strong reputation of these Christmas parties, delivered to an exceptional standard both operationally and creatively, the partnership evolved beyond seasonal events.
In July 2024, Moving Venue, part of Smart Group, secured a five-year exclusive catering partnership, strengthening the operational framework behind every event. Building on this momentum, in early 2025 the group unveiled a new commercial identity for the venue, 60 Great Queen Street, expanding its offer beyond Christmas parties to year-round commercial events. This continuity has created an unrivalled understanding of the venue, its stakeholders and operational requirements, resulting in consistent teams and guaranteed seamless delivery.
For guests, this integrated delivery model ensures a smooth experience from arrival to departure. Catering, production and front-of-house teams have a detailed knowledge of the venue, allowing service flow, logistics and timings to be precisely tailored to the building’s layout and guest movement. This minimises queues, reduces disruption and maintains consistently high standards.
Accredited production partner Oxygen, who have supported with Christmas parties at the venue since 2018, continue to deliver technical excellence with a deep understanding of the building’s architectural constraints. Their familiarity allows ambitious production to be delivered efficiently and sensitively within this Grade II* listed landmark.
Large-scale events are carefully managed across multiple spaces, with the Grand Temple re-engineered using a bespoke raised floor installed above the fixed seating. A dedicated event management team oversees every stage, coordinating catering, entertainment, production, security, first aid and front-of-house operations to ensure a polished, safe and memorable guest experience throughout.

Entertainment follows a carefully curated format that has been refined over multiple seasons. Bespoke add-ons and branding opportunities give organisers the power to elevate their Christmas party, creating a truly distinctive and memorable experience that reflects both the theme and the prestige of the venue.
For both Masquerade and The Gatsby Club, live performance is a key feature. In the Gallery, guests enjoy a live jazz band performing period-inspired music such as the Charleston, providing an authentic nod to the era. As the night progresses, entertainment transitions to a DJ-led experience in the Grand Temple, ensuring momentum is maintained and the dancefloor remains a central focus of the celebration.
A wide range of add-ons allows hosts to personalise their event and enhance guest enjoyment. Food and drink upgrades include additional canapé services, interactive food stations and late-night bites, offering variety and pacing throughout the evening. Drinks packages can also be enhanced, from premium spirit selections to champagne upgrades, ensuring hosts can tailor the level of indulgence to their audience.
Some clients leverage the option of working with Smart Group’s sister creative events agency, Story Events, acquired in 2024, to further enhance their exclusive event. This has included additional décor, such as a custom-built masquerade wall inspired by Venetian wine windows or branded floral arrangements. As well as additional entertainment options, including a bespoke playing-card activation, themed photobooths, casino tables, bird cage acrobats and roaming champagne dress performers.
The venue offers a multitude of branding opportunities. Gobo projection mapping and programmable LED fixtures allow client logos to be displayed on walls, ceilings, or even the exterior façade. Strategically positioned signage opportunities allow brand logos to be displayed in harmony with the venue’s spectacular architectural features.

The popularity and commercial success of these events is clear. In 2025, The Gatsby Club grew revenue by 102%, from £265k to £536k, with one client returning for their third consecutive year. Masquerade also saw revenue growth to £766k, with over half of business coming from repeat clients, proof that our approach delivers both commercial and experiential success.
While 1920s-themed events are increasingly popular, 60 Great Queen Street offers something few competitors can, an authentic, fully immersive setting with original Art Deco architecture and period details. This environment is complemented by Moving Venue’s award-winning catering, delivering seasonal, creative menus with British produce at the heart. Canapés, interactive food stations, indulgent main courses, and bespoke cocktails are all designed to delight while matching the scale and sophistication of the historic setting. Guests consistently comment on the quality of food, which exceeds expectations.
Smart Group’s integrated model further distinguishes the offering. Catering, production, front-of-house, and creative design are coordinated in-house or through long-term partners, reducing operational risk and ensuring smooth execution across multiple historic spaces. Flexible capacity accommodates intimate gatherings of 220 or grand receptions of 1,200 without compromising quality.
Sustainability and responsibility are central to every event, with zero-to-landfill catering, seasonal sourcing, the Green Levy for carbon offsetting, and charitable partnerships such as City Harvest, to which 6,000 meals were donated in 2024. These initiatives ensure client events align with ESG priorities while maintaining exceptional standards of service.
The combination of historical authenticity, immersive design, creative catering, operational excellence, and strong commercial retention demonstrates why 60 Great Queen Street’s Christmas parties are industry-leading. These events deliver a rare balance of spectacle, sustainability and commercial impact, making the venue’s festive offering uniquely deserving of recognition.