Suzanne Moss
Google review / Apr 11, 2022
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I hired Stu for our birthday/anniversary party. Stu was very professional and certainly made our evening a night to remember. I would highly recommend him.
Mobile Bar Hire Across the UK
Hire a mobile bar when the room has nowhere that looks or works like a bar. Staff alone cannot fix bottles spread across a table, no working space and guests unsure where to order.
Cocktailhire delivers, builds and staffs a real bar for homes, gardens, marquees, weddings, offices and event rooms across the UK. The size is worked out from the guest numbers and the space available.
This is not an automatic upgrade into a larger package. It is the right service when the physical bar is the missing part of the room. You may see the same practical service described as a mobile cocktail bar, pop-up cocktail bar, temporary event bar, portable event bar or staffed mobile bar. For gardens and marquees, it is also the outdoor event bar that gives the team a proper place to work. If you are still deciding between staff only, a physical bar or everything supplied together, start with the cocktail bar hire guide.
It suits homes, marquees, wedding venues and private event rooms where the drinks side needs to look as though it belongs in the room from the start.
Mobile bar hire, in plain English
The bar itself is the job here
Mobile bar hire is for events where the room needs a real drinks point: a bar guests can walk up to, a team who can work behind it, and a setup that looks intentional instead of borrowed from the kitchen or squeezed onto a trestle table.
If there is already a proper bar in the room, you may only need bartenders. If the event needs the bar structure, bar equipment, glassware planning, ice, workflow and service position handled together, this is mobile bar hire.
A proper service point
A staffed mobile bar gives guests one clear place to order, keeps bottles and tools out of the host's kitchen, and makes the drinks side feel like part of the event.
Scaled to guest numbers
As a working guide, we allow 1.5m of bar for up to 100 guests and one bartender per 50 guests, so the bar is not underbuilt before the first drink is poured.
Glassware, ice and setup
Glassware, ice, bar tools, delivery, setup, live service and collection can be planned around the booking, rather than left as separate jobs for the host to chase.
Homes, marquees and gardens
This is for private houses, marquee weddings, garden parties and work events where there is no useful built-in bar already waiting for the team.
Corporate and larger rooms
For offices, launches, receptions, festivals and busier rooms, the bar position, queue line, stock access and staff numbers matter as much as the look of the bar.
Stock supplied or supplied around you
Some clients have their own drinks. Some want the drinks side supplied with the bar. The important part is agreeing that before the day so the setup matches the service.
Fast answer: Cocktailhire provides staffed mobile bar hire for private parties, weddings, homes, gardens, marquees, offices and selected larger events across the UK.
- Mobile bar units start from 1.5m and are sized around the room and guest count.
- Bartenders, glassware, ice, working equipment and bar support can be wrapped into the booking.
- This is not furniture-only dry hire; it is a working bar setup with people who know how to run it.
- The quote depends on guest numbers, service hours, bar length, glassware, travel and whether drinks are supplied by you or planned with us.
See the service
Watch how a real bar changes the room before the first drink is served
The useful proof is seeing what happens when the drinks side has a proper bar to work from. The room looks more settled, guests know where to gather, and the whole setup stops feeling improvised.
Real event proof
See the kind of bar setup that makes the room feel ready before service starts
These are real bars in real rooms. The point is to help you picture what guests see when the drinks side has a proper bar presence instead of a temporary table pushed into place.
Trusted client and venue proof
Clients we've worked with
Trusted by clients who wanted the bar, the service and the room to feel properly put together once guests arrived.
See the bars behind the names: Amazon Manchester's three-metre wooden bar and Represent Manchester's two-floor setup.
Google reviews from buyers who wanted the bar and the service to feel right once guests arrived.
What clients say once the room is open
Stephen Pike
Google review / Aug 3, 2022
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Experience was brilliant and Henry who came was brilliant with all our guest. Highly recommend
Sodhi Dhillon
Google review / Dec 11, 2019
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Stu took care of all the details including providing a wide selection of cocktails and a full list of ingredients.
Quick quote guide
Get a mobile-bar starting figure before you commit to anything
This starting figure already includes the mobile bar with staff. It gives you a realistic early answer before you build the rest of the event around it.
If the date matters, get the bar and staffing called properly early.
That way the drinks side is settled before the room grows around the wrong setup.
Once the date, guest numbers and the kind of space are clear, we can tell you quickly whether mobile bar hire is the right service and what starting figure makes sense.
What arrives with the bar
Usually included
- A staffed mobile bar setup supplied as part of a booked Cocktailhire service
- Bar sizing matched to guest numbers, the room and the way service needs to flow
- Delivery, setup, live service positioning and collection handled by our own team
- The physical bar structure that gives the drinks side a proper front and focal point
- Clear written confirmation showing the bar and the booked service together
Added if needed
- Glassware, alcohol and anything beyond the bar and staffing itself
- Extra bar modules if guest numbers or the room clearly need more than the starting setup
- Extra bartenders or glass collectors when the guest numbers and room genuinely need them
- Anything wider than the agreed bar-and-staffing setup
The bar is delivered, built and staffed as shown on the quote. Glassware, drinks and other additions are included only when they are listed.
The problem a mobile bar solves across the UK
The bar earns its place when the room has nowhere sensible for service. It gives the event a proper front and the team a workable back.
A proper mobile bar gives guests something real to gather around, gives the bartender a clear working front and makes the whole room feel more considered from the moment drinks begin.
The gain is not just appearance. It is that the drinks side stops looking borrowed, the service has a proper home, and the organiser is not left trying to invent a drinks setup out of furniture that was never meant for it.
The bar in use
See what the bar still looks like once the room is moving
This is the real test. Once guests are ordering, glasses are building up and people are gathering around it, the bar still has to look like part of the event.
If the room needs a proper bar, settle it while the plan is still easy.
That way the drinks side looks deliberate from the start.
This is usually the right move for home parties, marquees, wedding receptions and private venues where guests will notice the bar before they ever order.
Right fit for
Events where the drinks side needs a visible bar presence and would look weaker with a borrowed table, sideboard or temporary station.
Less suited to
Bookings that already have a proper bar in place and only need staffing, or anyone looking for furniture drop-off with no real service plan around it.
Do not build a bar the room does not need
- It is not a furniture drop left for someone else to make work.
- It is not there to disguise a weak drinks plan at the last minute.
- It is not right when the room already has a proper bar and only needs staffing.
Mobile bar hire does not automatically mean a full drinks package. Every included item remains visible on the quote.
Cocktails being served
The drinks still need to look equal to the bar
A good bar setup gets people there. The drinks still need to look like they belong once they are in guests’ hands.
How mobile bar hire is priced across the UK
Bar length and access matter as much as the postcode. The quote uses the actual room and guest details rather than a one-size figure.
Initial 1.5 metre mobile bar unit: £325
Additional modules: £325 each when guest numbers or room shape clearly need more bar frontage
Staffing sits alongside the bar so the whole setup is priced as one sensible drinks plan
That keeps the decision simple. You can see the bar cost clearly, then judge whether the size and service around it match the night you are planning.
What happens before the bar is built
Check the date, give us the address and guest count, then choose the bar size and additions the room genuinely needs.
1. Check the date and get the starting figure
Start with the date, guest numbers and service hours so you can see whether mobile bar hire is the right move before the room is planned around it.
2. Choose the bar size and where it goes
Once the date looks right, we confirm the bar size, where it is going and anything else the room needs to make service feel easy.
3. Receive the written plan
You get the booking confirmed clearly in writing so the drinks side feels settled early and you are not left piecing it together later.
Once that is clear, the room stops depending on a temporary setup and the drinks side feels properly called.
Planning answers
The practical questions that matter first
Confirm how the team reaches the room, where the bar will stand, how much space is available and what is included on the quote.
Mobile bar hire explained
Prices, bar sizes, room fit and what is included, all together before you decide.
What does mobile bar hire cost?
See the starting bar price, what staffing adds and which details change the final figure.
What is included in mobile bar hire?
Useful when the bar style, drink choices and guest-facing brief still need to be settled properly.
How much room does a mobile bar need?
The room, power, access and positioning questions that usually decide whether the setup will work cleanly.
Portable bar or staffed mobile bar?
Useful when you are still deciding whether mobile bar hire is the right service or whether the event wants a different structure.
How many guests can the bar serve?
Match the bar size and staffing to 50, 100 or 150 guests.
Questions organisers usually ask before booking
Does mobile bar hire include staffing?
Yes. Mobile bar hire is booked alongside staffed service. We do not send the bar out on its own and leave the rest to chance.
Is the mobile bar price shown before booking?
Yes. The starting figure is shown early so you can judge the booking before you commit. If guest numbers or the room need more bar frontage, that is made clear before anything is agreed.
Can the bar be used for home events, weddings and marquees?
Yes. Most bookings are private homes, marquee receptions, weddings and private venues where the drinks side needs a proper bar presence.
Is glassware included in the bar price?
Glassware is added only if it is needed and agreed. The useful thing is that you know early what the bar setup covers and what sits outside it.
Where Mobile Bar Hire Works Best
Private home parties
For hosts who want a proper drinks focal point instead of guests crowding around kitchen counters or temporary tables.
Weddings and marquees
For events where the bar has to look like part of the room design and still work properly once service starts.
Corporate socials
For organisers who need a controlled bar setup that looks professional and can be booked without unnecessary delay.
The point is a drinks side that looks more settled, gives guests a proper place to gather and stops the room depending on a makeshift table arrangement.
Compare Mobile Bar Hire With Other Options
Use these comparisons when you know the drinks side needs more than a temporary table, but you are still deciding whether the missing piece is the bar itself, the staffing or a fuller package.
Mobile Bar vs Bartender Hire
If the room already has a strong bar position and you mainly need capable staffing, bartender hire may be enough. Choose mobile bar hire when the bar itself needs to be built into the look and flow of the event.
Mobile Bar vs Cocktail Maker
If the main priority is live cocktail service and the venue already gives you the right working position, cocktail maker hire is often the lighter option. If the room still needs a proper bar front, mobile bar hire is usually the stronger choice.
Mobile Bar vs All-in-One Packages
If you want the bar, staffing, glassware and drinks package brought together under one structure, the all-in-one service may suit better. Mobile bar hire is the better fit when the physical bar is the main missing piece.
Choose the area that matches the booking
Choose the part of the country closest to the event. The regional page then carries the county and town coverage underneath it.
London
Manchester
North West
North East
Yorkshire and the Humber
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
South East
South West
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Mobile Bar Hire in North East Scotland
The exact venue postcode, access, bar size and service times are confirmed before the booking is paid for.
A clearer next step
Need the bar for a company event?
Use the company-event page when you want to compare the physical bar against staff-only and fully supplied options before choosing.
Compare company event options