The converted horsebox that started everything.
A Rice horsebox, stripped to the frame and rebuilt by hand into the bar at the centre of every Lunar event.
A Rice trailer, and a fairly optimistic idea
Every Lunar bar starts with one converted horsebox. It began as a tired Rice horsebox — a proper old British trailer with a good frame, a bad floor and decades of weather on it. We wanted something with real character to build a bar around, and nothing new had it. So we bought it, towed it home, and took it back to bare bones.
Reclaimed timber, blackened steel, warm light
The rebuild took months of evenings. New floor, insulated shell, reclaimed timber cladding cut and finished by hand, blackened steel detailing and a back bar built to actual working-bar dimensions rather than to look good in one photograph. Running water, on-board lighting and enough service space for two bartenders to move without colliding.
The lighting was the thing we obsessed over most. Warm amber, low and even, so that at dusk the whole box glows rather than glares — and so the drinks, and the people holding them, look right.
Inside the conversion
From a bare chassis to a finished converted horse box, a few moments from the build.
Horsebox bar vs trailer bar vs cocktail van
People use a lot of names for bars that arrive on wheels. Here's how they differ, and why we chose a horsebox.
Horsebox bar
A converted horse trailer. Curved roofline, ramp and real history — it reads as a feature, and it's built to be towed across fields to where marquees and barns actually are.
Trailer bar
A purpose-built bar trailer, usually flat-sided and efficient. Practical, but it tends to look like event equipment rather than part of the styling.
Bar on wheels
Anything from a wheeled counter to a converted cart. Easy to move indoors, but usually needs the venue's water, power and lighting.
Cocktail van
A converted van serving through a side hatch. Handy on hard ground and streets, harder to position on grass or in a garden.
A mobile bar trailer can do the job. A horse box bar does it with character — and because ours carries its own running water and amber lighting, and is set up within around 90 minutes, it works almost anywhere.
That's why the horsebox anchors all of our mobile bar hire, from weddings to dry hire for venues with their own licence.
One horsebox became five services
Running bars taught us what else a great night needs — a soundtrack, a room with a mood, letters glowing in the dark, and someone capturing it. That's how Lunar Events Group grew out of a single trailer in a workshop.
Horsebox bar FAQs
What is a converted horsebox bar?
A horsebox bar is a road-going horse trailer rebuilt as a fully functioning bar — serving hatch, back bar, lighting and water on board. Ours is a restored Rice horsebox, hand-finished in reclaimed timber and blackened steel.
Why a horsebox rather than a trailer bar or van?
Proportion and character. A converted horse box has a shape and patina you can't fake with a flat-sided trailer, it tows and positions easily on soft ground, and it reads as a feature in photographs rather than as catering kit.
How much space does it need?
Roughly 5m x 3m of reasonably level ground plus towing access. It's self-sufficient, with its own running water and amber lighting.
Is a horse box bar the same as a trailer bar?
Not quite. Both are towed, but a trailer bar is usually a purpose-built box, while a horse box bar is a converted horse trailer — with the curved roofline, ramp and history that come with it. Ours keeps that character on the outside and a full working bar on the inside.
Can I hire the converted horsebox for my event?
Yes — it's the bar behind every Lunar booking, from weddings and parties to corporate and pop up events, staffed or dry hire. Tell us your date and we'll reply within 24 hours.
Book the horsebox for your event
Share the date, the venue and the guest count — we'll come back within 24 hours with a transparent quote.
Book the horsebox bar →