Celebrating a birthday? Partying with your intramural team? Organizing the office happy hour? You're gonna need a bigger bar (or karaoke room, or bowling alley). Never fear: we've rounded up five spots around D.C. that are perfect for big groups, and where everyone is sure to have a great time.
Private Cocktail Party: The Gibson
U Street Corridor
D.C.'s private dining rooms may be the pricey province of lobbyists and mega-donors, but you can still throw a swanky party without dropping a ton of cash at the Gibson, which offers rentals of its upstairs bar (for up to 35 people) and two "apartments" (for 12 and 16 people, respectively). In addition to an array of craft cocktails, the bar can host private mixology classes for groups, to improve your shaking and stirring technique.
Private Karaoke Rooms: Muzette Karaoke
Adams Morgan
Timid vocalists can keep their karaoke among friends at D.C.'s first private-room singing spot, which offers accommodations in small (1-4 people), medium (5-9), and large (10-15) sizes. Each is equipped with flat-screen TVs and touch pads boasting a selection of 70,000 songs in various languages, as well as wireless microphones and a few tambourines. Fuel your singing with some soju and Korean beer, then chow down at the adjacent restaurant, which offers dumplings, tofu soup, bibimbap, and more.
Best Bowling: Lucky Strike
Chinatown
With a 21+ rule and a dress code past 8pm, this 14-lane bowling alley is perfect for adult fun, with no competition from kids' birthday parties. Each lane can accommodate 2-6 people, and with a fully stocked bar, a photo booth and 10 projection screens showing sports, there's plenty to do between frames. If you're looking for a daytime activity, check out the afforable $20/person lunchtime package, which includes two rounds of bowling, a food item, and a fountain soda with free refills.
Trivia Night: Penn Social
Penn Quarter
On Tuesday nights at 7pm, Washingtonians congregate at this Irish sports bar, for its weekly trivia night, featuring tough questions and $4 pints of Sam Adams brews. The winning squad gets a $25 gift certificate, and runners-up also get to take home some prizes. But the real bragging right is getting to represent the bar in the District-wide District Trivia/CSN Trivia Challenge tournament, which comes with a $5,000 prize. Even if you don't make the cut, you can console yourself by beating your crew at a board game, giant Jenga, or Giant Connect Four.
Urban Brewery Tour: DC Brau
Northeast D.C.
The first brewery to open in D.C. since Prohibition has plenty of space for groups to congregate, and are happy to arrange private tours of their space ahead of time for bigger parties. The best time to visit is on weekends, when food trucks park out front, and dogs are welcome to join the fun. After you've seen the beer-making process in action, your group can enjoy $5 pints of The Public pale ale or Penn Quarter porter—and if you come on Friday evenings, pints are half-off.
