Venue hire at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden FAQs

If you wish to engage a supplier to service your event, use an area exclusively, or guarantee a venue location, a booking will be required. We recommend making a booking for groups of 10 people or more to avoid disappointment. 

Groups of all sizes can book a venue (subject to the capacity of the venue). By booking a location, you may bring additional infrastructure into the Garden. Please check out the information listed under each venue.  

We have venues available for almost all types of bookings! 

• Picnics
• Birthday party 
• Corporate party 
• Product launches
• Christmas party 
• Indoor functions
• Wedding ceremony 
• Wedding reception
• Wedding photography
• Marriage proposals
• Workshops
• Conferences
• Memorials  

Complete the booking request form on the venue page. A team member will action your request and send through an invoice for payment within 72 hours.

Bookings open 18 months in advance. 

We have a venue available to suit every event type! Here is an overview to get you started.

The Gardens open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. The Garden is closed on Christmas Day.

All bookings must finish at least 30 minutes prior to closing times so you and your guests are able to leave before gates are locked. 

Any function that runs outside of the Garden's opening times will be required to pay an additional site hire and after-hours security fee, as noted in the rate schedule. All after hours functions must cease by 10.00 pm and the Garden vacated by all guests and suppliers.

Venues at the Gardens are a bare site hire. The venue hire includes exclusive use of your location, including set-up and pack-down time.

Our Ceremony Package includes venue hire, photography permit, exclusive hire of Car Park 3 (21 car spaces), directional wedding signage to your venue location for your guests and venue liaison for bump-in and bump-out for maximum of 1 hr.

Rates are included on each venue listing.

Please call our reception on 02 4567 3000 for assistance, or email us at [email protected]. 

All requests for cancellation must be done in writing to [email protected]. 

If you have booked one of our picnic and garden party venues, wedding ceremony or wedding photography and wish to cancel your event, you must do so by providing us with written notice. The following cancellation applies:

Cancellations due to wet weather:

• If you wish to cancel your booking on the day of the event due to wet weather, please provide written notice before 12pm midday on the day of your booking. In this instance your booking will be refunded 50% of the fees paid. 

Cancellations unrelated to wet weather:

• Cancellations received more than one month prior to your booking will be given a 50% refund of the fees paid.
• Cancellations less than one month prior to your booking date are non-refundable.  

Please email [email protected] with your changes required. We will endeavour to accommodate your request subject to availability, however additional fees may occur.

Equipment can be hired from commercial function hire companies. All equipment brought into the Garden requires prior permission. The hirer must notify the Garden prior to the event of any suppliers who will be providing goods or services. A copy of the suppliers' public liability insurance must be provided to the Garden along with details of drop off and pick up times. A list of suppliers previously used for functions at the Garden can be provided on request.

Hirers are responsible for the care and control of all externally hired equipment as well as their own property and personal effects. Loss or damage to such items is not covered by the Garden's insurance policy.

Marquees may be erected on the Formal Garden Lawn or Heath & Heather Lawn only by request.

Please do not attach decorations to trees, buildings or other structures. No pegs or spikes are allowed in the lawns and all items must be weighted. To keep our lawns green and clean, the throwing of confetti and rice is not permitted. 

Other items prohibited are candles, bat and ball games, party streamers, sparklers, fireworks (any form), and bamboo torches. You will be requested to remove any unauthorised equipment by Rangers.

We encourage external catering companies and food trucks onsite to allow you to create your perfect menu. 

Please note, food is not allowed during your wedding ceremony. You are required to hire a reception space for any catering.

Self-Catering

You can provide your own catering.

External Catering Supplier

You can engage your own external caterer to provide for your event. All caterers must comply with statutory health and WH&S (Work, Health and Safety) requirements. Food must be cooked off-site; barbeques are not permitted. Your caterer must provide Public Liability Insurance to the value of $10M.

Alcohol

You can serve alcohol at your event. The Trust operates under an On Premises Licence which means alcohol is permitted at your event. We do ask you assist with the responsible service of alcohol (RSA) to your guests by:

• Not serving alcohol to minors
• Not serving intoxicated persons
• Ensuring food and water is available 
• Ensuring the quiet and good order of your Party
• If using an external catering company to cater your event, they must operate under a separate liquor licence, and provision of alcohol must be overseen by an RSA qualified person.

The Rangers will ensure RSA requirements are adhered to and will remove any intoxicated persons (so behave!).

We request you use environmentally friendly packaging and serving containers which can be reused or recycled. 

If your suppliers require vehicle access to your event site, you can book a Supplier Escort into the Garden. You can make this booking at the time of booking your site. Access cannot be granted on the day. 

There is free parking throughout the site, but please be aware that the general public also have access to this parking.

There is access to power at selected outdoor venues and generators are permitted upon request.

Power is available in some indoor venues.

All electrical items and equipment must be tested and tagged prior to use and they must display the certification tag. 

Your venue booking allows photography only at your location during your event. With a photography permit, you are welcome to move throughout the Garden for photo opportunities before and/or after your ceremony and use other areas that have not been booked. 

All commercial filming and photography require a separate permit.

Yes, you can use a low-volume, battery-powered portable speaker or amplifier. Please position speakers towards your area to minimise impact on other visitors.

You may have a live acoustic ensemble of up to four people or low-volume pre-recorded music. Bagpipes, drums, pianos or other amplification systems (such as electric guitars or keyboards) are not permitted.

Please note sound must be contained within the boundary line of your site. All music must be played in an unobtrusive manner. The Garden is a public and shared space. The Ranger has the authority to halt the event if complaints are received from the public.

The following items are prohibited to ensure the peaceful enjoyment of all guests and minimise damage to the venue.

Prohibited items:

• Candles (battery powered are ok)
• Bat and ball games
• Bicycles, scooters, skateboards etc
• Party streamers, poppers, confetti, glitter etc
• Sparklers & fireworks (any form)
• Fires (including kerosene lamps) 
• Bamboo torches
• Podium or stages
• Drones (unless permit issued for commercial operations)

You will be requested to remove any unauthorised equipment by Rangers. 

Drones are not permitted.

No animals, including dogs, are permitted inside the Garden except for an accredited assistance animal that is in harness.

No, BBQs, ovens or portable gas appliances aren’t permitted.

There are multiple picnic shelters available for hire within the Garden.

For weddings, a wet weather back up is included in the cost of your venue hire fee subject to availability. There are no permanently sheltered wedding ceremony venues at the Garden.

Marquees and shade structures are permitted within the Gardens with prior approval only. Consider booking one of our picnic shelters if you need shade.

Marquees may be erected on the Formal Garden Lawn or Heath & Heather Lawn only by request.

No, your booking includes your set up and pack down. If you need additional time, you can add extra hours to your booking for an additional fee.

Free car parking is available to all garden visitors on a first come first service basis. Car park 3 (21 car spaces) is available to hire for an additional fee.

A coach parking bay is available. Please notify the Garden when making your venue booking that your party/guests will be arriving by bus.

Please take your rubbish with you and dispose of it responsibly. As a sustainably focused, self-funded public asset we ask for your help to reduce waste within the Gardens. Events can generate significant amounts of rubbish and whilst general and recycling waste bins are provided throughout the Gardens, we ask that you please take your rubbish with you when you leave.

This not only reduces the potential danger waste poses to Gardens wildlife, but it also enables us to keep waste disposal costs to a minimum and instead invest precious funds into tree conservation and planting and other essential maintenance of heritage features, amenities and other Gardens facilities.

Discharge of waste matter, fluid, oil, fat, ice or dry ice is strictly prohibited.   

The Garden is a public space and other events may occur at the same time. However, your chosen event location will be reserved for your exclusive use. Should you encounter any problems on the day including occupation of your reserved site, please contact the Rangers on 0428 118 563.

If you need to cancel because of inclement weather, we will offer a 50% refund of the venue hire fee. Please email the team at [email protected] on the day of your event, prior to the start of your booking time.  We require all cancellations to be in writing to process the refund.