Editorial
The best bars for graduation celebrations have to solve a specific problem: a mixed group that spans twenty-two-year-olds and their parents, all trying to have a good time in the same room at the same time. The venues that do this well are not the cheapest or the most fashionable — they are the ones with enough range on the menu, enough space to allow some natural separation, and enough experience to handle the occasion without making it feel staged.
New York graduation season runs from May through June and the competition for good group bookings is serious. These picks cover the range from understated upscale to genuinely fun, with enough variation in price and format to match the full spectrum of graduation party expectations.
London graduation season clusters around July, when the major universities hold their ceremonies in succession. The bars below are the picks for groups from UCL, King's, LSE, Imperial, and the London art schools — venues that handle the occasion well regardless of the demographic mix.
Not every graduation happens in New York or London. These picks cover the bars that handle graduation celebrations best in the other major US and UK university cities our editors cover regularly.
The best bars for graduation celebrations share one trait: they handle mixed groups without making either the graduates or the parents feel like they are in the wrong place. That balance is harder to achieve than it sounds. The picks on this list all manage it — and they do so because of deliberate decisions about atmosphere, menu range, and the quality of their events teams rather than by accident.
Book early. Graduation season is predictable and the best group spaces fill up six to eight weeks in advance. For groups over 25, a private hire deposit will almost always be required. For groups under 15, a semi-private area and an advance call to the bar is usually enough to get the space you need.
James has covered graduation season bar booking across New York, Chicago, and London for seven years. He has a particular interest in the bars that handle the parent-and-graduate demographic mix without requiring either group to compromise.