Alnwick Castle takes conferences, meetings, product launches, award ceremonies, exhibitions, gala dinners and weddings for up to 216 guests in its Guest Hall, with larger outdoor events possible in Hulne Park. The castle stands above the River Aln in the market town of Alnwick, Northumberland, about 30 miles south of the Scottish border.
Seminars and company events
The castle sells its spaces for business meetings, conferences, product launches, award ceremonies, exhibitions, networking evenings and private dining. A dedicated events team handles planning and runs the day. Small executive meetings can use Mrs Bowmaker's Room at Bailiffgate Hotel, opposite the castle, which holds 10 people. Larger groups meet in the Guest Hall. For an outdoor program, Hulne Park, the castle's walled park, can be closed to the public so that a group has the lawns and woodland to itself. Marquee and bespoke packages are offered for events larger than the hall.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are held throughout the year. Couples can marry at the castle and hold the wedding breakfast and evening reception in the Guest Hall, or hold a ceremony and drinks among the arches of Hulne Priory, a 13th-century ruin inside Hulne Park. The whole park can be hired for a private marquee wedding. Bailiffgate Hotel adds rooms for guests and space for gatherings the day before or after.
Rooms and capacities
The Guest Hall is the main event room. It has high ceilings and opens onto a courtyard. It seats 216 theatre-style, 180 at banquet tables, 102 in cabaret layout and 32 around a U-shape. Across the road, Mrs Bowmaker's Room seats 10 for a meeting or a private dinner. The Motte & Bailey Restaurant at Bailiffgate Hotel can be booked in full, or a section at the end of the room can be reserved for up to 28 guests with a view of the castle. The hotel courtyard suits outdoor receptions. Hulne Priory and Hulne Park have no fixed capacity on the official site and are planned case by case.
Accommodation
There are no bedrooms for event guests inside the castle. Bailiffgate Hotel, directly opposite, has 48 rooms and can be booked for whole groups, wedding parties and corporate delegations.
History and setting
The first written record of a fortified castle at Alnwick dates from 1138. It has been the seat of the Percy family, raised to Dukes of Northumberland by George III in 1766, through 12 dukes. Daniel Garrett, James Paine and Robert Adam all worked on its 18th-century redesign. The keep holds the State Rooms: the Upper and Lower Guard Chambers, the Library, the Drawing Room, the Saloon, the Dining Room and the China Gallery. The collection includes eight paintings by Canaletto. The Victorian kitchens, built in the 1850s for the 4th Duke, opened to visitors in 2025. The castle appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and in Downton Abbey. It welcomes about 250,000 visitors a year and closes to day visitors in winter, reopening in March 2027.
Getting there
Alnwick lies just off the A1. Alnmouth station, a short drive away, has direct trains to Newcastle, Edinburgh and London. Newcastle International Airport is under an hour by car.
