Chester Zoo

You can run a day conference, a dinner for 180 or a company day for up to 500 people from one private base inside a 128-acre zoo, with free parking, Wi-Fi and zoo entry for your delegates included in the published packages. Chester Zoo is a conservation charity in Upton-by-Chester, a couple of miles north of the city centre, and it hires out two restored Grade II listed buildings: The Square, the zoo’s original 1930s stable block, and The Oakfield, the house where founder George Mottershead lived. The zoo says the money from every booking goes to its conservation work in the UK and in more than 20 countries worldwide.

Event spaces and capacities

You get 11 bookable spaces across the two buildings, so breakouts, a plenary and dinner can all stay on one site. The largest room is The Atrium at The Square, listed for 250 theatre style, 300 standing and 180 for lunch or dinner, and its brochure gives it 200 for an exhibition. The Square’s open courtyard, about 650 m², takes 500 for an exhibition or company zoo day. The Square’s own page gives its main space as 200 and the full building as up to 380, so confirm which figure applies to your layout.

Capacities as published by the venue in its 2026 meetings and events brochure, checked 13 November 2026. Areas are worked out from the length and width the brochure gives for each room. The Oakfield’s web page lists lower theatre figures for the three upstairs suites (Dove 48, Magnolia 30, Redwood 25) than the brochure does.

Getting there and parking

Your delegates can drive in and park for free, and that parking is written into the day delegate, Christmas and retreat packages. The zoo says it is not far from the M56 and tells drivers to follow the brown signs onto the A41 and ignore sat navs from there, and not to turn into Flag Lane North, which is a dead end. There are 26 electric car charging points of 7 kW with Type 2 sockets, charged per kWh through the Pod Point app. Chester and Bache railway stations are both a couple of miles away; from Bache, a public bridle path off Flag Lane North gives walkers a short cut to the main entrance. The zoo points bus users to Stagecoach services 1 and X1 between Chester and Liverpool, which run seven days a week.

Catering, AV and accommodation

You do not need to bring in a caterer or an AV company. The in-house catering team serves the day delegate menus, and the zoo says it uses local produce, some of it grown on site, with plant-based options. Day delegate rates are £57.95 (Classic) and £64.95 (Premier) including VAT, covering room hire, refreshments, a finger buffet, screen and PA, flipchart and Wi-Fi; a minimum number applies. A separate package with entry to the Our Story exhibition, narrated by David Attenborough, is £65 a head for 10 to 95 delegates. The Atrium has a 163-inch LED video wall with audience and presenter cameras for hybrid sessions, and every meeting space at The Square has an interactive LED screen; The Oakfield’s rooms have 75-inch screens. Company zoo days with private use of The Square are £65 a head for 50 to 500 people. For overnight groups, The Reserve’s 51 lodges can be booked as a sole-use retreat for up to 50 delegates from £295 each, Sunday to Thursday outside school holidays. The Square is heated by an air source heat pump and runs on electric equipment only.

What to ask before you book

• The Square’s page says 200 for the main space and 380 for the whole building, while the brochure lists The Atrium at 300 standing; ask which figure applies to your layout and timings.
• The three upstairs suites at The Oakfield are on the first floor and the brochure does not mark them wheelchair accessible; if anyone in your group needs step-free access, plan breakouts in the ground floor rooms instead.
• The Oakfield’s suite capacities differ between its web page and the brochure, so get the current figure in writing for the room you book.
• Delegate packages include zoo access, but on 13 November 2026 the zoo’s site showed opening hours of 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3pm; check the hours for your date if delegates want to see the animals.
• Christmas bookings are paid in full in advance, with a £10 a head deposit and no refunds for cancellations within eight weeks; ask whether similar terms apply to your meeting.
• Zoo Ranger talks and walks and team challenges are priced per group (from £200); confirm group sizes and timings when you book.

Related on Events Review

• Conference venues in Chester
• Unusual event venues
• Historic event venues
• Chester Racecourse
• Chester Cathedral
• Storyhouse, Chester
• Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa
• Bristol Zoo Project
• Manchester Museum
• Turn venue accessibility claims into a usable event plan
• Choose the venue around the event, not the headline capacity

Sources: Chester Zoo conferences and corporate events, meetings and events, The Square, The Oakfield, 2026 meetings and events brochure, exclusive use corporate retreats, Christmas parties and getting here, checked 13 November 2026.