Every family has the same Christmas puzzle. Everyone wants to be together, but nobody’s dining room seats more than 20. So the day gets split across houses, the children eat in the kitchen, and someone always ends up perched on a piano stool.
There is another way. A giant tipi in your garden gives you one spectacular room for the whole family, with wooden poles soaring overhead, fairy lights glowing against the canvas and a fire pit crackling at the centre. You still wake up in your own home and cook in your own kitchen. You just walk out of the back door into somewhere extraordinary.
If you’re thinking about hosting up to 70 guests this winter, here’s our countdown checklist, from the first conversation to the morning after.
Settle the guest list
Numbers come first, because they decide the size of your tent. Be generous when you count: partners, new babies and the neighbours you always end up inviting all need a seat.
- Up to 70 for a sit-down meal: a single tipi measures 10.3m × 10.3m and seats up to 70 guests.
- Up to 42 for a sit-down meal: our kung measures 8.5m × 8.5m and makes a wonderfully cosy dining space for a smaller gathering.
Decide too whether this is a dinner or a party. A seated Christmas lunch needs a table and chair for everyone. A Boxing Day get-together with drinks and mingling can welcome more people in the same space.
Four to six weeks out: plan for warmth and light
“Won’t it be cold?” is the question we hear most, and the answer is reassuring. Our tipis and Kung’s can have a fire pit at their centre, so the whole room gathers round its glow once the plates are cleared. For a bigger group, an industrial heater can be added as an extra. Matting runs throughout, so feet stay dry on a frosty lawn. A basket of blankets by the entrance never goes unused.
Imagine fairy lights running from floor to apex, with a chandelier above the tables, make the canvas glow from within. Seen from the house on Christmas night, it’s quite a sight.
Two to three weeks out: tables, food and the practical bits
Choose your table style
Long rustic tables give you the classic family feast, with dishes passed hand to hand down the line. Round tables feel more relaxed and make it easy to mingle between courses. A single tipi takes 10 rustic tables or 7 round ones, with up to 70 chairs.
Plan the food route
Whether you’re cooking or bringing in a caterer, map the journey from kitchen to table. If a caterer is involved, introduce them to us early so we can plan the layout together.
Think about the extras
With 70 guests, you may want extra toilets, or power if your house supply won’t stretch to the garden. We’ll help you work out what your event needs and recommend trusted suppliers for anything outside our own range.
Confirm your numbers
Let us know your final guest count and any extras so everything is ready for set-up.
The week of Christmas: we set up, you host
One to two days before:
Our team arrives and puts up your tipi, lights and furniture. You’ll have a little time to add your own touches: a wreath on the entrance, garlands on the tables, crackers at every place.
Christmas Day:
Light the fire pit, open the doors and bring everyone in. Your job is simply to enjoy it.
One to two days after:
We come back, take everything down, while you finish the leftovers.
That’s the beauty of Christmas under canvas. The space is spectacular, the planning is shared, and you get to spend the day with the people you love, all under one roof.
Our Winter Offer: 30% off seven winter packages
Our Single Tipi Winter Dining Package seats up to 70 guests, with fairy lights from floor to apex, a chandelier and matting throughout. Its winter price is £2,273.26, with the 30% already off and VAT and damage waiver insurance included.
The offer covers events between 20 December 2026 and 31 January 2027 in IP, CO, CM and SS postcodes. Book by 22 January 2027. T&Cs apply.