Christmas networking 2026: festive dates across Hampshire

December is the one month when Hampshire's business calendar turns social. Alongside the regular groups, much of what is new is festive: drinks with a regional business group, a Christmas lunch in the New Forest, a coffee morning, a social at a co-working space. The dates listed so far are above, week by week, and this piece adds some practical notes on going, on running your own team's party, and on why the month is worth a couple of evenings.

Why December is worth it

Many businesses in Hampshire are too small to have much of a Christmas party of their own. In March 2026, Nomis counted 59,420 enterprises in the Hampshire County Council area, and 52,295 of them, 88.0%, had nine or fewer people. Across the UK, the Department for Business and Trade's business population estimates counted "5.54 million small businesses (with 0 to 49 employees), 99.15% of the total business population" at the start of 2026.

For a sole trader, a festive event run by a business group is the office party. It is also one of the easier rooms to walk into: people are there to be sociable, and the conversation is usually lighter than at a weekly group.

There is evidence that small-business owners value that kind of contact once they have it. When the government evaluated its Help to Grow: Management course, it found that 58% of the business leaders who completed it had stayed in touch with some of the others on their course, and 68% were talking informally with other businesses at least quarterly.

Going on your own

• Book early. Festive events usually include food, so organisers need numbers in advance.
• Arrive near the start. It is easier to join a conversation when the room is half full than when everyone is already in groups.
• Ask the organiser to introduce you. That is part of their job, and they know who you should meet.
• Have one line ready. What you do and who you would like to meet. At Christmas, a question about someone's year works as well.
• Leave on a good note. One conversation that leads to a coffee in January is a good evening.

If you are running a party for your own team

If you employ people, the tax rules on staff parties are worth knowing. GOV.UK sets out when an annual party or similar function is exempt: it must "be open to all your employees", "be annual, such as a Christmas party or summer barbecue", and "cost £150 or less per person". It adds: "This also applies to online or virtual parties." The full rules, including what happens when you hold more than one event in a year, are on GOV.UK, and an accountant can tell you how they apply to your business.

Planning the month

December fills quickly with family, school and client commitments, so it helps to decide early which business events you want.

• Pick two, not six. One event with a group you already know, and one somewhere new, is a good balance for a busy month.
• Go local. A festive event in your own town is easier to get to and home from, and the people there are the ones you can see again in January. The town pages show what is on near you: Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, Basingstoke and the rest on towns.
• Note who you meet. A line in your phone after each conversation (name, business, one thing they said) makes the January follow-up easy.
• Follow up in January, not on Christmas Eve. A short message in the first full week of the new year stands out more than one lost in the December rush, and it is a natural reason to suggest a coffee.

Giving at Christmas

If a festive event you go to raises money for a charity, it is a good moment to give: the Charities Aid Foundation reported in March 2026 that the British public gave an estimated £14 billion in 2025, down from £15.4 billion in 2024, and that the share of people giving has fallen from 69% in 2016 to 55%. Our article on charity and business has more on how businesses can give.

Where to find more

Every festive date we list is on Christmas networking, with the posters and a filter by town. For everything else in the month, see the December calendar, events with no ticket price, or this week.