/ About

Serpentine has occupied its two sites in Kensington Gardens since 1970, presenting exhibitions by more than 2,000 artists, architects and designers across five decades. Serpentine South holds the original address: a Grade II-listed former tea pavilion built in 1934, its four interconnecting galleries set behind a domed neoclassical portico. Five minutes' walk north across the Serpentine Bridge, Serpentine North occupies a former 1805 gunpowder store, extended by Zaha Hadid Architects when it opened as a second gallery in 2013.

Both galleries take exclusive private hire outside opening hours, for corporate receptions, seated dinners, product launches, fashion shows and filming among the current exhibition. Capacities move with whatever is on the walls, so the events team confirms room-by-room numbers against the show in place on the date. In North's Zaha Hadid extension, The Magazine operates as Serpentine's largest entertaining space, hired standalone or alongside the adjoining gallery.

Each June, a new Pavilion rises on the South lawn: a structure by an internationally recognised architect building in England for the first time, standing through October with power, lighting and a bar built in. It is Serpentine's most requested summer address, and its design, footprint and capacity change with every commission.

/ Rooms Available

Serpentine Pavilion

Exclusive Hire
Seats 70 / Up to 300

A new structure each year, on the lawn beside Serpentine South from June to October, designed by an internationally recognised architect building in England for the first time. The 2026 Pavilion is by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo of Lanza Atelier, the twenty-fifth commission since the series began in 2000. Every design ships with weatherproof cover, lighting, power and a built-in bar; combined with the adjoining South lawn it can host summer receptions for up to 500.

Flexible Layout

The Magazine

Exclusive Hire
Seats 90 / Up to 200

Serpentine's largest entertaining space, set inside the swooping concrete-and-fabric extension Zaha Hadid Architects added to North in 2013. It runs as a public restaurant through the week and converts for exclusive private hire in the evenings, taken alone or combined with the adjoining North galleries. The Magazine's kitchen is run exclusively by Benugo.

Natural LightFlexible Layout

Serpentine North

Exclusive Hire

A former 1805 gunpowder store, its two brick-and-beam Powder Rooms sit inside a brighter modern gallery perimeter, five minutes on foot from South across the Serpentine Bridge. The Powder Rooms suit an intimate dinner or lounge set, the surrounding galleries a standing reception. As at South, capacities shift with the current exhibition.

Period ArchitectureFlexible Layout

Serpentine South

Exclusive Hire

The original Serpentine gallery, in a domed 1934 tea pavilion behind a neoclassical portico. Four interconnecting rooms, West, East, North and South Galleries, around a central lobby, can be taken as one open run or divided by exhibition wall. Capacities vary with the show in place and are confirmed by the events team against the specific date.

Period ArchitectureNatural LightFlexible Layout

/ Perfect For

CorporateLaunchPrivate DiningCelebration

/ Features

Venue Specs

  • – Dedicated Events Team

/ Getting Here

Serpentine Galleries

Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA

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