Bar in a Box — Self-Service Mobile Bar Hire
Our Bar in a Box is a complete self-service mobile bar, delivered directly to your venue by pallet courier. Choose your bar design and draught tap configuration, then supply your own drinks and operate the bar yourself. We provide the bar, cooling and dispense equipment, delivery and collection. It is our self-service dry hire option: the bar and the agreed equipment, without bartenders or drinks.
Plus a £199 refundable deposit at checkout. Standard pallet delivery and collection are included for mainland Great Britain. The Highlands, the islands and Northern Ireland are quoted first — enter your postcode above and we’ll tell you which applies.
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What's Included with Your Hire
Your Bar in a Box arrives with the bar and draught dispense equipment required for your selected configuration, ready for straightforward setup at your venue.
Premium mobile bar unit
Solid oak worktop, mounted on wheels, built to professional spec. Choose The Pavilion, The Mayfair, The Riviera, The Classic or The Guinness in the configurator.
1 beer tap (serving line)
Full serving line ready to connect to your keg. Add extra taps in the configurator above.
Professional-grade chiller
Built-in chiller system keeps your line cold all night. Fill with water on arrival, done.
Heavy-duty pallet crate
The branded flight case the bar travels in. Doubles as storage during your event.
Clear setup instructions
A step-by-step guide covering positioning, filling the cooler, connecting your keg and gas, and repacking for collection.
Nationwide pallet delivery
Included in the price for mainland Great Britain. Day-before drop-off, next-working-day collection by HGV pallet courier. The Scottish Highlands, the offshore islands, the Isle of Wight, the Isles of Scilly and Northern Ireland cost the pallet network more, so we quote those before you book rather than charging you afterwards.
What You’ll Need for Your Bar
You supply the drinks and a suitable location for the bar. We’ll confirm the equipment and connections required for your chosen draught setup before dispatch.
Kegs
You arrange your own kegs. Most customers order from a local brewery or drinks wholesaler. Tell us what you are serving and we will confirm the coupler you need.
Gas
A gas cylinder is required and is not included. Which gas depends on the drink: lager and cider normally run on CO₂, while Guinness and other stouts need a 70/30 mixed gas. We will tell you which before your bar is dispatched.
Power
A standard mains socket within reach of the bar. The cooling equipment needs to run for a few hours before serving.
Water
The cooler is filled with water before use. A bucket or jug is enough — the instructions cover how much and when.
A suitable spot
Firm, level ground with room for the bar, the kegs and people to stand at it, plus somewhere dry to keep the transport case until collection.
Not sure?
Tell us what you are planning to serve when you book, or ask us first. It is easier to check than to fix on the day.
How Bar in a Box Works
From booking to collection, here is what happens and what you do at each stage.
Reserve online
Pick your date, choose extras, pay in full. You'll get an instant confirmation.
Delivered day before
HGV pallet courier drops off at your venue the working day before your event.
Set Up Your Bar
Wheel the bar out of its crate on its castors, position it, fill the cooler with water and connect your keg and gas. Allow time for it to chill before serving.
Collected next working day
Repack into the pallet crate. Our courier collects the next working day. Deposit refunded.
Delivery & Venue Requirements
Your Bar in a Box is delivered in a protective transport case by pallet courier. Once your event is over, you repack the bar as instructed and we arrange collection. Check the points below before booking, and ask us if anything is unclear.
HGV access required
The bar arrives on a full-size pallet delivered by HGV pallet courier. Your address must be accessible by a large lorry. No narrow lanes, weight-restricted roads, or low bridges.
The crate stays, the bar comes out
Two things arrive, not one. The transport crate is lowered kerbside on a pallet truck and is too heavy to move by hand, so wherever the courier sets it down is where it stays. The bar itself is on castors and wheels out of the crate — that is the part you move to where you want it.
Somewhere safe to leave it
Because the crate cannot be moved once it is down, pick the drop point before you book — typically a driveway, courtyard, side gate or venue loading area, on firm level ground, secure and out of public access. It stays there for the whole hire, and the bar needs a clear route from it to where you are serving. A waterproof cover is included with every delivery.
You repack & we collect
After your event, wheel the bar back and repack it into the crate as the instructions show. Our courier collects the next working day (Mon–Fri). The crate must be accessible and in the same spot it was delivered. Lost or damaged crates are charged to your deposit.
Prefer Us to Deliver & Set Up?
Bar in a Box is designed for customers happy to handle the setup themselves. If you'd rather leave the delivery, installation and collection to our team, we also offer a fully installed dry-hire service.
Choose from our range of mobile bars and we'll prepare a quotation based on your event location and requirements.
Team-delivered hire is quoted separately and subject to availability, access and venue requirements.
Bar in a Box for Weddings, Parties & Events
Bar in a Box scales naturally — book one for a garden party of fifty, or pair two up for a barn wedding of two hundred. Same delivery, same setup, no extra staff.
The Pavilion and The Mayfair suit evening events and black-tie. The Riviera in powder blue works well for summer weddings and daytime. The Classic carries the VIVA wordmark across the front.
See more events →Complete Your Bar Setup
Glasses, ice buckets, drinks dispensers — the usual things you'd want behind a bar. Mix & match hire and keep-after-event items.
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BuyPricing & What's Included
The hire charge, the refundable deposit and anything you add are all shown separately, so you can see exactly what is payable at checkout.
Standard reservation
- Mobile bar unit (1 tap)£519
- Nationwide pallet deliveryIncluded
- Refundable deposit£199
- Total at checkout£718
- £199 deposit refunded after collection
Also included
- Heavy-duty pallet crateYes
- Chiller system & setup guideYes
- Next-working-day collectionYes
Optional upgrades
- Extra hire days+£50 / day
- 2 tapsIncluded
- 4 taps+£100
- Glassware, dispensers, etc.See add-ons
- Custom brandingQuote
You supply
- Your own beer kegs & drinks
- Ice (we can supply ice buckets)
- A safe spot for the pallet crate
Frequently Asked Questions
The bar in your chosen design, the draught dispense and cooling equipment for the tap configuration you select, the transport case, setup instructions, and standard pallet delivery and collection.
Yes. You arrange your own kegs, usually from a local brewery or drinks wholesaler. Tell us what you are serving when you book and we will confirm the coupler you need.
A gas cylinder is required and is not included. Lager and cider normally run on CO₂; Guinness and other stouts need a 70/30 mixed gas. Most customers source a cylinder locally or from the brewery supplying their kegs. We confirm what you need before dispatch.
Yes, with the correct coupler and mixed gas, which is why we ask what you are serving at the point of booking. Tell us and we will set the bar up accordingly and confirm the gas before it leaves us.
Yes. One and two tap setups are included in the standard price; four taps is £100 more. Each tap needs its own keg, and we will confirm the couplers and gas for the combination you want.
It arrives assembled in its transport case. You wheel it off, position it, fill the cooler with water, connect your keg and gas, and let it chill before serving. Written instructions come with it, and you can call us if anything is unclear.
Yes. A standard mains socket within reach of the bar. The cooling equipment needs to run for a few hours before you start serving.
It arrives by pallet courier on an HGV, so the delivery point needs to be reachable by a large vehicle with firm, level ground to unload onto. If you are unsure about access at your venue, ask us before booking rather than after.
Standard hire is delivery the working day before your event and collection the next working day afterwards, so a Saturday event is typically a Friday delivery and a Monday collection. Extra days extend that, at £50 a day.
We deliver across the UK, but some remote postcodes including the Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland and the islands may carry an additional courier charge or may not be serviceable. We confirm this before taking payment.
Every delivery includes a heavy-duty waterproof cover for the bar and the transport case, and the bar is built for outdoor use.
A £199 deposit is collected with your booking, making a standard booking £718 at checkout. It is returned after the equipment is collected and inspected, subject to the hire terms.
Fair wear and tear is expected and not charged for. Damage beyond that, or loss of the transport case, is deducted from the deposit, and anything beyond its value is invoiced separately. The full position is in the hire terms.
Date changes are free up to 14 days before delivery. Cancellation terms depend on how close to the event you are — the detail is on our refunds page.
Pallet courier slots are usually booked two to three working days ahead, so bookings inside 48 hours cannot be guaranteed. For a wedding or a fixed date, book as early as you can.
Equipment Deposit & Responsibility
What is collected
A £199 refundable equipment deposit is collected with your booking, alongside the hire charge. A standard booking is therefore £718 payable at checkout.
Getting it back
The deposit is returned following collection and inspection of the equipment, subject to the hire terms. Fair wear and tear is expected and is not charged for.
While it is with you
You are responsible for the equipment during the hire period and for repacking it into the transport case, as instructed, ready for collection.
If something is damaged
Damage beyond fair wear and tear, or loss of the transport case, is deducted from the deposit. Anything beyond its value is invoiced separately. The full position is set out in the hire terms.
Want it branded? We do that too.
Wedding names, business logos, or full-colour custom designs on the pallet crate and bar panel. A few weeks' lead time, separate quote — drop us a line.
Book Your Bar in a Box
Choose your bar, your date and your tap configuration above. We deliver before your event and collect afterwards.