Guest Invitation
One Afternoon InsideLondon's Most Iconic Christmas Address.
A winter afternoon for female founders at a Piccadilly institution that has been trading since 1707.
1st December 2026
— 4pm
Fortnum & Mason
Seventy places · By invitation only
The 3'6 Bar · Third Floor · 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER
The Venue
Older than the Christmas tree, the card and the cracker.
In 1707, a footman to Queen Anne named William Fortnum began selling on the palace's half-used candle ends. He went into business with his landlord, Hugh Mason. What started as a modest grocer on St James's Market became one of the most recognisable shops in the world.
Almost everything we now think of as Christmas (the decorated tree, the greetings card, the cracker) arrived in the 1840s. Fortnum's was well over a century old by then. Its hampers went to Waterloo, to Florence Nightingale in the Crimea, and up Everest in 1922; in the First World War, families sent Christmas hampers from Piccadilly to the trenches. The windows on that corner are, for a great many people, the moment December properly begins.
On the 1st of December, we have the bar on the third floor to ourselves: the 3'6 Bar, named for the three shillings and sixpence a guest cost at a Fortnum's cocktail party in the 1930s. Low light, soft music and a bar that knows exactly what it's doing.
The candle ends. William Fortnum and Hugh Mason open on St James's Market. The shop has traded ever since.
The Scotch egg. Invented at Fortnum's, for travellers heading out on the Dover road.
Three and six. The cost per guest of a Fortnum's cocktail party, and the name of the bar we'll be in.
The clock. Mr Fortnum and Mr Mason step out to bow to one another on the hour, above the Piccadilly doors.
Where the conversations happen
Seventy women. One room. The first week of December.The Winter Soirée · 1 December 2026
The Afternoon
Twelve until four, from the moment you arrive.
No name badges. No speed rounds. Four hours built around good drinks, live piano, real conversation and one very good fireside chat.
A glass, on arrival
Sparkling wine (or something equally good without the alcohol) the moment you walk in, and a pianist already playing as you come through the door. The room is yours before the rest of Piccadilly has thought about lunch.
Canapés, and your drinks token
Canapés served through the afternoon, plus a token for a second drink of your choosing at the bar. Cocktail, wine, or something soft — the bar at Fortnum's is the bar at Fortnum's.
The fireside chat with Charlene Douglas
An unhurried, unscripted conversation with Charlene Douglas — Relationship and Intimacy Coach, as seen on E4's Married at First Sight UK. Not a keynote. Not slides. The kind of conversation that makes the room go quiet, and then go loud again after.
Something to take home
The half-hour after the chat is yours again — the conversations it started, carried on over what's left of your drinks. And something chosen for the room, not a goody bag.
Arriving
The whole building becomes an advent calendar.
Every December the façade on Piccadilly is lit up and numbered, one to twenty-five, and people stop in the road to look at it. This is what you'll walk past on your way in.
Come a little early, or stay on afterwards. Either way, don't get the tube straight home.
181 Piccadilly · Green Park & Piccadilly Circus
The Room
Curated, not crowded.
Every woman in this room will have been invited. The list is not open, the doors are not wide, and the capacity of the 3'6 Bar decides the rest. That is the entire point. The quality of a room is set by who is standing in it.
- ◆Six-figure founders who understand your world
- ◆Established business owners with experience worth having
- ◆Collaborators genuinely looking to connect
- ◆Decision-makers worth knowing before January
- ◆Women who think bigger — and expect you to as well
What this isn't.
- ✕Pitching from a stage
- ✕Transactional, desperate energy
- ✕Name badges and awkward introductions
- ✕Two hundred people and a queue at the bar
- ✕A corporate Christmas party with a buffet
Secure Your Place
One afternoon. One room. Then it's January.
Seventy places in the 3'6 Bar. Once they're gone, this page closes — there's no waitlist and no second release.
Guest Tickets
Guest Rate
Early bird closes Wednesday 30 September. Price rises to £225 after that.
- ◆Exclusive access to the 3'6 Bar at Fortnum & Mason
- ◆Sparkling wine on arrival (or a non-alcoholic equivalent)
- ◆Drinks token for a second drink of your choosing
- ◆Canapés through the afternoon
- ◆A pianist playing live
- ◆A fireside chat with Charlene Douglas, your questions included
- ◆Something to take home
- ◆Four hours with a vetted, curated room
Early bird ends Wednesday 30 September — after that, guest places are £225. Capacity may close it sooner.
Everything Included
What you're saying yes to.
The Room, To Ourselves
The 3'6 Bar held for us for the afternoon — not a table booked in a busy bar, the whole room.
Sparkling Welcome
A glass of sparkling wine as you arrive, or an equally good alcohol-free alternative.
Your Drinks Token
A token for a second drink, chosen by you at the bar. Cocktail, wine, or something soft.
Canapés
Served through the afternoon.
Live Piano
Playing live through the afternoon.
The Fireside Chat
An honest, unscripted conversation with Charlene Douglas — Relationship and Intimacy Coach, as seen on E4's Married at First Sight UK. Questions from the room included.
Something To Take Home
Not a goody bag. Something chosen for the room, and worth keeping.
Four Hours of the Room
Twelve until four with a curated group of established female founders.
A Vetted Guest List
Invitation-only. Every name checked. No exceptions, however late the request.
Piccadilly at Christmas
You're a two-minute walk from Green Park and the best Christmas windows in London.
Details
Your questions, answered.
What's the dress code?
Festive, elevated, London in December. Velvet, tailoring, a good coat, something that catches the light. Not black-tie, and not the office. Dress like you're going somewhere worth photographing — because you are.
Where exactly is it?
The 3'6 Bar on the third floor of Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER. Green Park and Piccadilly Circus are both a short walk. We strongly recommend public transport — parking in St James's in December is not your friend.
Can I bring a guest?
Invitation-only. Get in touch before booking to ask about bringing a guest — we'll confirm whether we can accommodate them.
What's included in the ticket price?
Exclusive access to the 3'6 Bar, a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, a drinks token for a second drink of your choosing, canapés through the afternoon, a pianist playing live, a fireside chat with Charlene Douglas, and something to take home.
Will there be music?
Yes — a pianist, live, through the afternoon. Pitched so the room sounds like December in Piccadilly, and still low enough that you never have to raise your voice to be heard.
Is this actually a networking event?
Not in the traditional sense. No pitches, no speed rounds, no badges with your elevator pitch printed on them. It's a connection-led afternoon, built around the conversations that happen when the right people are in the same room.
How many places are there?
Seventy. We won't stretch it to squeeze anyone in — the point is the quality of the room, not the size of it.
I have dietary requirements or allergies.
Please add them at checkout. Fortnum's need advance notice to cater properly, so don't skip this step if it applies to you.
What's the refund policy?
Due to venue and catering commitments, tickets are non-refundable. You may transfer your place to another eligible guest with prior approval — just get in touch before the day.
One Last Thing
The women who hesitate miss the room entirely.
The capacity is set. The room is curated. If you want to be standing in Fortnum & Mason with a glass in your hand on the 1st of December, the only thing left to do is book it.
Secure My Place — £175