When you plan a big celebration, the last thing you want is to move guests between three different buildings for cocktails, dinner, and the dance floor. At Arts Ballroom in Center City Philadelphia, the whole evening lives under one roof. We give you 10,000 square feet of customizable space right off the Avenue of the Arts, so your guests can sip a cocktail, sit down to a plated dinner, and hit the dance floor, all without ever needing to find their car keys.
One Venue for Every Part of the Night
Our spaces were built to carry an event from the first toast to the last song. The Grand Ballroom and the Sylvania Room sit right beside each other, so you can stage cocktails in one room, dinner in another, and dancing wherever the energy takes you. You get exclusive use of the whole space for your event, which keeps the night yours from start to finish. Here is how each piece comes together.
Cocktails in the Sylvania Room
The Sylvania Room is where many of our celebrations begin. It sits next to the Grand Ballroom and carries its own glamour, with crystal chandeliers, mirrored décor, and a backlit marble bar that draws people in. We can run attended cocktail stations here and pass butlered hors d’oeuvres while your guests mingle. The room holds up to 300 for a cocktail reception, so there is plenty of breathing room before everyone moves on to dinner. When the celebration winds down, this same room works beautifully for an after-party.
Dinner Under the Chandeliers
When it is time to sit down, the Grand Ballroom takes over. This is the heart of Arts Ballroom, with hardwood floors, a French acoustic ceiling, a marble fireplace, and a granite staircase that gives every entrance a sense of occasion. The room seats a formal dinner with room to spare, and because it sits steps from where cocktails started, your timeline stays simple. Our team handles a plated dinner with white-glove tableside service, and your executive chef, captain, and servers keep things moving. With one server for every ten guests, no table waits long for a refill or the next course.
Dancing Without Missing a Beat
Once dinner winds down, the dancing begins, and you do not need to move anyone to a separate hall. The Grand Ballroom’s French acoustic ceiling was designed for sound, so music carries clearly and your toasts and speeches land without a wall of extra equipment. Custom lighting packages let you shift the mood from a soft dinner glow to a full dance floor, with uplighting, spotlights, and party lights. A second built-in marble bar keeps drinks flowing on both sides of the room, so no one stands in a long line while their favorite song plays.
A Team That Handles the Transitions
The reason all of this feels easy is the people behind it. From your first visit, you work with an on-site event coordinator who maps out the flow of your night. On the day itself, you have a maître d’, a captain, doormen, a bridal attendant, bartenders, and catering staff, all working so the shift from cocktails to dinner to dancing happens without you noticing. We also include the pieces that usually add stress, like tables, chairs, linens, silverware, glassware, full setup and breakdown, a top-shelf open bar, a full dessert menu, and a custom cake. Tax and gratuity are included too, so your number stays clear.
Getting Ready and Stepping Out
Before the doors open, you and your party have somewhere to settle in. Our Mezzanine and Lounge sit above the Ballroom with Juliet balconies that look down on the room, plus two private suites with their own restrooms for getting ready or slipping away for a quiet moment. And because we are in the middle of Center City, your photos are minutes from Broad Street, Love Park, Dilworth Park, Washington Square, and Rittenhouse Square. City Hall is right around the corner.
Hosting your whole evening in one place is not just convenient. It keeps the energy going, saves your guests from parking twice, and lets you stay present instead of running logistics. That is what we built Arts Ballroom to do as an all-inclusive event venue in the heart of Philadelphia, and we would love to walk you through the rooms so you can picture your own night here.
Ready to see it for yourself? Book your tour with us, or fill out our pricing guide form to get the details for your date. You can also view our gallery to see how other couples and hosts have made the space their own.
FAQs
Can we host cocktails, dinner, and dancing all at the Arts Ballroom?
Yes. Our 10,000 square feet includes the Grand Ballroom and the adjoining Sylvania Room, so cocktails, a seated dinner, and dancing can all happen in one location without moving guests off-site.
How many guests can the venue hold?
We can host up to 550 guests for a cocktail-style event across our spaces. The Sylvania Room holds up to 300 for a cocktail reception and up to 100 for a plated dinner.
What comes with our booking?
Your booking includes on-site coordination, an executive chef, bartenders and waiters, tables, chairs, linens, silverware, glassware, full setup and breakdown, a top-shelf open bar, a custom cake, cake cutting service, and a bride and groom suite. Tax and gratuity are included.
Is there a space for the wedding party to get ready?
Yes. The Mezzanine and Lounge includes two private suites with private restrooms, which work well for the wedding party or for prep before the event.