How many can you hold?

It depends on the room and the layout — whether you are seated or standing, and whether there is entertainment, which carries its own limit. Tell us your numbers and we will tell you honestly which room fits. For anything the function rooms cannot take, the arena floor boards over.

Can we bring our own decorations?

Yes. You can get in from 16:00 to dress the room, and we clear up afterwards.

£50 secures the date and comes off the final bill.

Can we have a DJ or band?

Both rooms take a DJ or a small band. The bar closes at 23:00 with drinking-up until midnight, and a late licence can take that to 1am with drinking-up until 2am — tell us in advance and we will arrange it.

Do you do the food yourselves?

Yes, cooked in our own kitchen. Finger buffets, hot buffets and three-course meals, with dietary requirements handled if you tell us when booking.

Can we bring our own food or cake?

Cakes are welcome and we will cut and plate one for you. Outside catering is not permitted, as the kitchen is ours.

One licensed bar, staffed by our own people, serving both rooms.

Are children welcome?

Always. Children's portions from the kitchen, room for prams and a car park set back from the road. We do not have high chairs, so bring one if you need it.

Is the venue accessible?

There is a ramp at the main door and a lift to both party rooms, which are upstairs. Toilets are two sets of male and female plus an accessible toilet, all on the ground floor. Tell us if anyone needs step-free access and we will make sure it works on the night.

How far ahead should we book?

Saturdays from October and any December date should be asked about months ahead. Midweek and afternoon dates are usually available at short notice.

Can we look round first?

Yes. Ring the office and come up any evening to see both rooms before deciding.

Where exactly are you?

Ballysavage Road, Parkgate, BT39 0DX — between Antrim and Ballyclare, five minutes from the M2 at Templepatrick.

The room is yours for the night

Function room hire in Parkgate, County Antrim — ten minutes from Ballyclare, twenty from Belfast. Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, engagements and christenings, catered from our own kitchen with a licensed bar and free parking for everyone you invite.

Check a date 028 94 432 937

The McConkey Room set with round tables and white linen for a function

The bar dressed for a party, with balloon arches and a draped ceiling

A party venue in County Antrim

Jim Baker Stadium is best known for bowls, but the function rooms are hired most weekends for parties. The Bar Lounge suits an evening do; the McConkey Room takes a sit-down meal with a stage and a floor to dance on, and divides in two when something more intimate suits. Both are yours for the night rather than a corner of somewhere else.

We cook on site, so the food is not brought in cold: finger buffets, hot buffets and three-course meals are all done from our own kitchen, and the menu is written round your numbers rather than a fixed sheet. Dietary requirements are straightforward if you tell us when you book. The bar is licensed and staffed by our own people, and there is free parking for 120 cars right at the door — no taxis needed for guests driving in from Ballyclare, Antrim, Templepatrick, Doagh, Randalstown or Belfast.

Because the building was built for sport, there is far more room than a hotel suite of the same price. That is why families come back for the next milestone: a fiftieth one year, a christening the next, then a golden wedding. Saturdays from October onwards are the busiest dates in the diary, so it is worth asking early.

At a glance

Rooms: Bar Lounge · McConkey Room
Catering: Cooked on site
Bar: Licensed, our own staff
Parking: Free, 120 cars
Access: Lift to both rooms

Something bigger?

The arena floor boards over for anything the function rooms cannot take — licensed for 540 across the two greens.

Exhibitions & events →

The two party rooms

Your seated area is yours for the night — tables, service and all.

The Bar LoungeThe evening room
The room most eighteenths, fortieths and retirement nights end up in. Bar at one end, seating and tables, space cleared for dancing, and Bluetooth or AirPlay if you are running music off a phone. Best for an evening from seven with a finger buffet part way through.
- Bluetooth / AirPlay
- Bring your own cake
- DJ welcome
The McConkey RoomThe big room
Round tables for a sit-down meal, a stage at one end for speeches or a band, and a dance floor once the tables are cleared. A divider wall splits it in two when something more intimate suits. Also the room for christenings and afternoon gatherings, set with fewer tables and more open space.
- Stage & PA
- Round tables
- Divider wall
- Dressed to your colours

Party packages

Starting points rather than fixed menus — everything is priced on your numbers.

The Bar LoungeRoom onlyQuotedon your numbers
- Room for the evening to close
- Bar staff included
- Bring your own cake
- Bluetooth or AirPlay sound
Most bookedEither roomRoom & finger buffet£11ppper head, plus the room
- Sandwiches and hot bites
- Tables dressed and cleared
- Tea and coffee served
- Cake cut and plated
The McConkey RoomThe full night£24ppper head, plus the room
- Sit-down meal, three courses
- Stage and PA
- Room dressed to your colours
- Bar to 23:00, or 1am on a late licence

Per-head prices are a guide for 2026/27 and confirmed when you book. Room hire is quoted per event, because rooms, catering and staffing differ every time — ring the office and we will price your own numbers.

What people hold here

If your occasion is not listed, it is almost certainly still fine.

Milestone birthdaysEighteenths through to ninetieths, with the room to yourselves, our own staff behind the bar and a kitchen that cooks to your numbers.
AnniversariesSilver, ruby and golden weddings. A sit-down meal with speeches, quiet or lively as you want it.
ChristeningsAfternoon buffets with room for prams and pushchairs, and a car park away from the road.
EngagementsDrinks and a buffet for both families, often on a Friday with the room from four o'clock.
Retirements & leaving dosPresentations with a PA and a screen if you are showing photographs.
Christmas nightsWork parties from November to January. December Saturdays go first, usually by the summer.
Clubs & societiesAnnual dinners, prize nights and presentation evenings for teams and local groups.
Bowls & buffetAn hour on the rinks with staff to get everyone playing, then food in the room. The most-asked-for addition.

The thing hotels cannot offer

Add an hour of bowls

Take a few rinks before the food and put the whole party on the green. Bowls are lent out, staff set everyone up, and it works with any mix of ages — twelve-year-olds and eighty-year-olds end up on the same rink. Teams of four, about an hour, then straight into the room for the buffet.

Flat shoes or socks on the green. Some groups bring a trophy along for the winners.

Group size: 16 upwards
On the green: About an hour
Bowls: Lent out, no charge
Then: Buffet in your room

How it works

From enquiry to last orders

Five steps, one person handling it from start to finish.

1Ask about the dateCall, email or WhatsApp with the date and rough numbers. We aim to reply the same day.
2Come and see itHave a look at both rooms before you commit. People get a much better idea once they have stood in them.
3Hold it with £50The deposit secures the date and comes off the final bill.
4Settle the foodMenu and final numbers a fortnight before, with any dietary requirements.
5On the nightIn from 16:00 to dress the room. We serve, clear and tidy up after.

Getting hereTen minutes from Ballyclare

Ballysavage Road, Parkgate, BT39 0DX — off the Antrim to Ballyclare road, five minutes from the M2 at Templepatrick. Ten minutes from Ballyclare and Antrim town, twenty from north Belfast, fifteen from Belfast International Airport. Free parking for 120 cars at the door, lit, with a ramp into the building and a lift to both rooms.

Directions and contact details →

Also hired for

Common questions

What people ask before booking a party venue here — rooms, numbers, catering, music, licensing, deposits and access.

How many can you hold?: It depends on the room and the layout — whether you are seated or standing, and whether there is entertainment, which carries its own limit. Tell us your numbers and we will tell you honestly which room fits. For anything the function rooms cannot take, the arena floor boards over. Exhibitions & events →
Can we bring our own decorations?: Yes. You can get in from 16:00 to dress the room, and we clear up afterwards.
Is there a deposit?: £50 secures the date and comes off the final bill.
Can we have a DJ or band?: Both rooms take a DJ or a small band. The bar closes at 23:00 with drinking-up until midnight, and a late licence can take that to 1am with drinking-up until 2am — tell us in advance and we will arrange it.
Do you do the food yourselves?: Yes, cooked in our own kitchen. Finger buffets, hot buffets and three-course meals, with dietary requirements handled if you tell us when booking.
Can we bring our own food or cake?: Cakes are welcome and we will cut and plate one for you. Outside catering is not permitted, as the kitchen is ours.
Is there a bar?: One licensed bar, staffed by our own people, serving both rooms.
Are children welcome?: Always. Children's portions from the kitchen, room for prams and a car park set back from the road. We do not have high chairs, so bring one if you need it.
Is the venue accessible?: There is a ramp at the main door and a lift to both party rooms, which are upstairs. Toilets are two sets of male and female plus an accessible toilet, all on the ground floor. Tell us if anyone needs step-free access and we will make sure it works on the night.
How far ahead should we book?: Saturdays from October and any December date should be asked about months ahead. Midweek and afternoon dates are usually available at short notice.
Can we look round first?: Yes. Ring the office and come up any evening to see both rooms before deciding.
Where exactly are you?: Ballysavage Road, Parkgate, BT39 0DX — between Antrim and Ballyclare, five minutes from the M2 at Templepatrick.

Have a date in mind?

Saturdays from October fill early. Send the date and rough numbers and we will hold it while you decide.

Enquire now028 94 432 937 · call, email or WhatsApp