Nearby San Francisco may steal all the limelight, but there's a lot to love about San Mateo. With its historic buildings, great restaurants, and pretty parks, it's a great place to live or visit. If you're planning a birthday celebration in San Mateo or the broader San Francisco area, you'll find a huge range of unique event space options to choose from—and the best of them are on Giggster.
Our selection of wonderful party room locations offers event venues to suit small gatherings or large celebrations, low-key occasions or extravagant affairs, and parties for all ages. Keep reading for tips on finding your perfect event space and planning a birthday bash to remember.
From San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood to Redwood City and the heart of San Mateo, you'll find a huge range of distinctive and inspiring party venues to choose from on the Giggster app. So no matter what sort of celebration you're planning, it's easy to find unique event space options for birthdays, holiday parties, corporate events, cocktail parties, bridal parties, networking events, and so much more.
Opting for a quiet evening? For an intimate San Francisco dinner with your closest family and friends, it's hard to go past the exclusive setting of an elegant private dining room.
Nature lovers will find a bevy of terrific places to book on Giggster. When the weather is warm, the sun is shining, and flowers are in bloom, a pretty private garden is a lovely setting for a relaxed gathering with friends.
Outdoor patio and courtyard settings provide a peaceful and chilled setting for a low-key birthday celebration. Twinkling lights and pretty appetizers before dinner make for a special occasion.
Whether you want a sophisticated winery, a warm and welcoming brewery, or a bar space to suit your event style, there are plenty of options to choose from in the San Mateo and San Francisco area.
Exceptional Variety & Quality: With 17 wonderful party locations to choose from throughout San Mateo and San Francisco, finding your ideal event space is quick and easy. Each of the unique venues on the Giggster app offers its own character and charm to help make your special event even more memorable.
Hassle-Free Booking: It only takes minutes to find and book your perfect event space. Use the search filters to find suitable venues, check prices and venue info in the listing, and contact the host directly if you need any more details before booking.
24-Hour Free Cancellation Policy: Do you need a bigger birthday venue after all? Book at least 48 hours before your event date, and you can cancel your booking for free in the first 24 hours after confirming it.
Platform Protections: With optional damage, liability, and cancellation insurance available, you can enjoy 100% confidence and protection against the unexpected when booking a space.
Much planning goes into a birthday party, especially if you're planning on hosting the event of the year! If you can't decide whether San Mateo is the right setting for your birthday bash, check out the pros and cons to help you reach a verdict.
Advantages
Do you have out of town guests attending? With San Francisco Airport right on your doorstep, inviting friends from all over won't be an issue.
Planning on adding extra activities to the birthday bash? San Mateo has museums, beaches, parks, and galleries as fabulous options.
The best party venues are well suited to everything from holiday parties to corporate events, so they're versatile enough for any occasion.
Disadvantages
If you're planning to add a nightlife element to your birthday, San Mateo isn't known for extensive evening offerings.
This is a very expensive part of California, so you'll need a sizable event budget.
Popular event space locations in San Mateo, CA, book out quickly, so you can expect plenty of competition for spaces.
Whether you're in Foster City, Redwood City, downtown San Mateo, or downtown San Francisco, there's a huge range of venues on offer. And regardless of whether you're hosting wedding receptions, team building events, or anything in between, venues like Create, Mix and Mingle are the perfect place for social events.
Private Dining Rooms – Private Party. With an intimate atmosphere, good food, and good conversation, a special private dining space makes for a memorable birthday.
Outdoor Patios – Out and About. Make the most of some glorious California weather and kick off a girls' night celebration with drinks in a sunny patio space.
Indoor Playgrounds – Fun and Games. When you're hosting a birthday party for a group of high-energy kids in San Mateo, an indoor play, adventure, or sports center fits the bill perfectly.
Lounges – Chilled Gathering. From large parties to intimate gatherings, a VIP lounge in the Silicon Valley area provides a chilled party atmosphere.
Bars – Select Your Style. When you decide that a bar is the right venue for your special occasion, you get the flexibility to choose a venue that can help you create whatever sort of ambiance you want to offer your guests at your next event.
No matter whether you're in San Carlos, Silicon Valley, downtown San Mateo, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, or San Francisco, great social and corporate events don't just happen. You'll need to do a lot of careful planning and tick several important tasks off your to-do list to bring your party to life.
Set Your Budget – Your first job is to calculate how much you want to spend on your birthday party, then add up your predicted event costs to see if you can realistically afford to stick to your budget.
Choose Your Party Style – Decide how you want to celebrate this special occasion. What sort of party experience do you want? Where will the event be located? How many guests will be attending? What sort of atmosphere do you want them to enjoy?
Set the Date and Guest List – Now it's time to decide on the ideal date for your event, then finalize the guest list of key attendees.
Book an Event Space – Compare meeting rooms and event space locations to find your perfect private party setting. Whatever you're looking for in a location—a Union Square setting, two rooms or more, room to accommodate large groups, a dance floor, or anything else—shop around for your ideal rental destination.
Sort Catering and Entertainment – Compare caterers near you to find the right dining options for your guests, and make sure suitable alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. You may also want to hire a band, DJ, or even a guest speaker to help provide entertainment for your guests throughout the evening.
Furniture, Games, and Extras – Finally, if you need to rent any extra chairs or furniture for your event space, arrange party games to provide entertainment, or even make or buy decorations for the venue, take care of all of these tasks now.
Long before the doors open on your party, you'll need to sit down and create your event budget. Be sure to make a detailed list of all your predicted expenses, then use the tips below to help reduce costs.
Look for unique venues.
Sometimes you need to think outside the box a little to help keep expenses to a minimum. So, rather than just choosing the most popular and conventional event venues, browse the available listings on the Giggster app to find unique venues in the San Mateo area. From cocktail parties and holiday parties to a wide range of celebrations, they offer charming settings and also often come with cheaper price tags.
Be flexible with the date.
Venue hire and party rental costs can be more expensive than usual during the peak holiday season, so you might want to consider hosting your party a few weeks before or after your actual birthday. You can also save money by moving your celebration from a weekend to a weeknight.
Keep guest numbers low.
Another simple cost-cutting measure is to restrict the number of people you invite. This will help make your celebration more intimate while at the same time providing a boost to your bank balance.
Make your San Mateo party or gathering stand out from the crowd—download the Giggster app today and start comparing the best event venues and meeting rooms near you. From baby showers to family gatherings to birthday celebrations, we have affordable spaces sure to impress.
