Katy's Palace Bar
Overview & Capacity
Katy's Palace Bar is where B&W lands the creative brief. Established in 2012 above Amatuli Artefacts on Desmond Street, it is 500 square metres of warehouse-rustic blank canvas in the middle of Kramerville - Sandton's design district. The layout is a genuine event arc: a main open floor, a mezzanine that overlooks it, and a covered patio with a Sandton skyline view for arrival drinks. It holds 500 guests cocktail-style or 220 banquet, comes with its own cocktail furniture, Persian carpets, candelabras and a working fireplace, and includes a night manager, doorman, car guards and cleaners in the hire. Downstairs, sister venue Sir James van der Merwe handles the more intimate 270-cocktail / 80-banquet brief with black-and-white checked floors and pressed ceilings - so a single address can run a two-room event.
The Story Behind Katy's Palace Bar
The facts most venue listings never tell you — researched and source-checked by B&W Productions.
A design-district address, not a function room
Katy's Palace Bar opened in 2012 on the first floor of 6 Desmond Street, Kramerville - above Amatuli Artefacts and in the middle of Sandton's furniture, decor and design district. That address does a lot of work for a brand: the surrounding showrooms set the tone before a guest walks in, and the venue itself reads as a warehouse that was styled rather than a hotel ballroom that was dressed. It is a blank canvas by design - it can be transformed completely for a launch, or left almost untouched so the raw elements of the room carry the look.
How the 500 square metres actually flow
The venue is a series of adjoined spaces rather than one box: a main open floor, a mezzanine level that overlooks it, and a covered outdoor patio with a view across Sandton. For an event producer that geometry is the value - arrival drinks and smoking on the patio, the main floor for the reveal or the dance floor, and the mezzanine as a vantage point for content capture, VIP holding or a seated sub-group. It seats 220 banquet-style and holds 500 cocktail-style, and the fireplace on the main floor gives winter events a natural anchor point.
Sir James van der Merwe - the venue downstairs
Directly below Katy's Palace Bar sits its sister venue, Sir James van der Merwe: 220 square metres of black-and-white checked floors, walls of family portraits and pressed ceilings, with its own fully functional bar and kitchen and a built-in PA system. It takes 270 guests cocktail-style or 80 banquet, and it is the right room for the intimate version of the brief - a private dinner, an intimate launch, a smaller wedding, or the after-party half of an event running upstairs. One address, two very different rooms, is unusual in Sandton.
What is included, and what you still need to budget
The hire fee covers exclusive use from 08h00 until 02h00 on the event day, 3-phase 63amp power, a backup generator, a fully equipped kitchen when preferred suppliers are used, bathrooms on the lower level, and the venue's own furniture inventory - Katy's chairs, cocktail tables, trestle and banquet tables, coffee tables, lounge pods, Persian carpets and candelabras. Staffing is included too: a night manager, a doorman, two car guards and two cleaners. What sits outside the fee is the part first-time hirers underestimate: set-up and strike days at R16 000 ex VAT each, food and beverage, crockery, cutlery, linen, glassware, bar staff, and sound.
Sound, AV and the house rules that matter
Katy's Palace Bar operates under sound regulations that have made it contract a single in-house sound and AV supplier - bringing your own supplier is allowed but adds a R2 500 ex VAT surcharge for a house technician. The in-house VOID rig (Air Ten V3 tops, STASYS 218 subs, VENU 112 monitors and side fills, CDJ2000s and a DJM900, with an engineer) is available at R30 000 ex VAT and is the path of least resistance for a music-led event. The liquor licence runs 10h00 to 02h00 with the last round called at 01h30, and the venue is close enough to residential Kramerville that late-running sound needs to be planned, not improvised.
Catering and preferred suppliers
The kitchen is fully equipped with gas stoves and ovens and is built for both large and small services. Preferred caterers include Calico & Cream, Fresh Creative Catering, By Word of Mouth, Pippa's Food, Balkan Burger, Vicky Crease and Food by Flavours (Kosher certified). Booking a caterer off that list is permitted but attracts a R5 000 ex VAT kitchen surcharge, with load-in only on the event day and everything removed immediately afterwards. The venue also keeps preferred decor, florals, hiring, photography and DJ suppliers - the full list, with contacts, is in the suppliers pack above.
B&W's planning notes
Three things shape a Katy's Palace budget. First, surcharges are calculated on total headcount - attendees, staff and suppliers - so a 210-guest event with a 20-person crew crosses the 220 threshold and adds R10 000. Second, if your build needs a day before or a strike after, price those days in from the start rather than compressing everything into the 08h00-02h00 window. Third, daytime parking in Kramerville is limited even though evening parking is ample, so daytime conferences and shoots need a parking or shuttle plan. Bookings are held for 48 hours and secured with 50% of the hire fee, with the balance due 10 working days before the event.
Public trading hours
Both venues are private function spaces, but Sir James van der Merwe opens to the public every Wednesday from 16h00 to 24h00 for after-work drinks - full bar, pregos and mezze boards for sale, no bookings taken except for the mezzanine area, which can be reserved on a package basis.
B&W Production Notes
- 3-phase power 63amp
- Backup generator
- Venue access from 08h00 until 02h00 on event day
- In-house VOID sound system available (R30 000 ex VAT incl. sound engineer, CDJ2000s and DJM900)
- Contracted in-house sound & AV supplier - R2 500 ex VAT technician surcharge if using your own
- Set-up / strike day R16 000 ex VAT per day
- Liquor licence 10h00-02h00, last round 01h30
- Photographic shoots R1 500 p/h, filming R2 500 p/h ex VAT
The creative-brief hero. When the brand wants Instagram, this is the answer - and the two-venue address means B&W can scale the guest list up or down without moving.
Suitable For
What we like
- Genuinely unique warehouse-rustic aesthetic in Sandton
- Main floor + mezzanine + covered patio enables a full event arc under one roof
- In-house cocktail furniture, carpets and candelabras reduce hire spend
- Included staffing (night manager, doorman, car guards, cleaners)
- 3-phase 63amp plus backup generator
- In-house VOID rig and contracted AV partner simplifies technical planning
- Sister venue Sir James van der Merwe downstairs for two-room or overflow formats
- Kramerville design district - brand-adjacent address
What to confirm
- Kramerville industrial-area GPS confusion for delegates
- Set-up and strike days are charged separately at R16 000 ex VAT per day and all supplier kit must be struck immediately after the event
- Sound regulations - your own AV supplier attracts a R2 500 ex VAT in-house technician surcharge
- Outside caterers attract a R5 000 ex VAT kitchen surcharge and load-in only on the event day
- Guest counts above 220 trigger a R10 000 surcharge (headcount includes staff and suppliers)
- Daytime parking is limited (ample in the evening)
- Surcharges apply for set-up or strike before 08h30 or after 01h00
Real Google Rating
- Breathtaking city skyline views
- Eclectic and palatial decor aesthetic
- Vibrant atmosphere for social events
- Can be overcrowded on event nights
- Smoking allowed in all areas according to some guests
Amenities & Facilities
Rates & Packages
Exclusive hire for up to 220 guests. Includes venue access 08h00-02h00 on the event day, 3-phase 63amp power, backup generator, fully equipped kitchen (when using preferred suppliers), lower-level bathrooms, cocktail-style furniture, working fireplace with one bag of wood, and staffing (1 night manager, 1 doorman, 2 car guards, 2 cleaners).
Surcharge on the total guest count, including attendees, staff and suppliers. Cocktail capacity 500 pax.
Sister venue downstairs. 220 sqm, 270 pax cocktail / 80 pax banquet, own bar and kitchen, PA system with microphone and speakers. Up to 120 guests; 120+ adds a R6 000 ex VAT surcharge.
Charged per additional day before or after the function. All supplier set-ups must be removed immediately after the event.
Charged per additional day before or after the function.
Either venue, subject to availability.
Either venue, subject to availability.
2 x Void Air Ten V3, 3 x VENU 112 (monitor and side fills), 2 x VOID STASYS 218, 1 x VOID BIAS Q 2, 2 x CDJ2000s and a DJM900 mixer, plus a sound engineer. Using your own AV supplier adds a R2 500 ex VAT in-house technician surcharge.
Barman R150 per hour (1 per 50 guests), bar support R465 per shift. Average bar cost excludes welcome drinks and mobile bars. Liquor licence runs 10h00-02h00 with last round at 01h30.
Mushroom heaters R500 each ex VAT, firewood R80 per bag ex VAT, banquet-styled furniture, linen, crockery, cutlery, specialised glassware and bar stock are excluded from the hire.
2026 rates taken from the Katy's Palace Bar & Sir James van der Merwe venue information pack. All prices exclude VAT and are subject to change based on event requirements. Surcharges are calculated on total headcount including guests, staff and suppliers. Bookings are secured with 50% of the hire fee (held 48 hours), balance due 10 working days before the event; date moves carry a R2 000 ex VAT fee. Confirm current availability and pricing with the venue.
Quick Facts
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Frequently asked questions
Q.How many guests can Katy's Palace Bar accommodate?
Katy's Palace Bar in Sandton caters for events from around 50 up to 500 guests, depending on your layout and the spaces you book. Our team confirms the exact capacity for your event type when we handle your enquiry.
Q.Where is Katy's Palace Bar located?
Katy's Palace Bar is located in Kramerville, Sandton, Gauteng. B&W Productions arranges full event production here, from AV and staging to décor and catering coordination.
Q.How much does it cost to hire Katy's Palace Bar?
Venue hire R42 800 ex VAT (up to 220 guests). Pricing varies with your date, guest numbers and inclusions, so confirm current rates when you enquire — B&W Productions can put together a full costed proposal for your event.
Q.Does Katy's Palace Bar offer catering and accommodation?
Catering — Preferred supplier list (Calico & Cream, Fresh Creative Catering, By Word of Mouth, Pippa's Food, Balkan Burger, Vicky Crease, Food by Flavours - Kosher certified) | fully equipped kitchen with gas stoves & ovens | R5 000 ex VAT kitchen surcharge for outside caterers. Accommodation — No - Sandton and Bryanston hotels within 10 minutes.
Q.What types of events is Katy's Palace Bar best suited to?
Katy's Palace Bar works well for Cocktail launches, creative brand events, edgy corporate functions, product launches with heavy content and PR requirements, awards evenings with attitude, weddings, film and photographic shoots. The creative-brief hero. When the brand wants Instagram, this is the answer - and the two-venue address means B&W can scale the guest list up or down without moving.
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