Live Music and Festival Licencing
Festivals are often built to be joyous events full of music, art, food, alcohol, or other forms of entertainment. But with each new element, festival licensing becomes more complex, so it is vital that you understand what licences you require for any situation.
Below, we attempt to touch on many of the common licences required for a festival, whether it be a live music festival or otherwise, so you can start planning with confidence.
If you are in the process of, or about to start acquiring licences for a festival and need some support, be sure to reach out to our licensing experts today. You can also email us directly through info@john-gaunt.co.uk or call us on 0114 266 8664 today.
What types of festivals are there?
When people think of festivals, they typically think mainly of large music festivals that can be found across the UK throughout the year. But there are many other festival types that all require licences. Below, we will touch on some of the more common festival types before looking at the licences in particular.
1. Music festivals
Live music is at the heart of these festivals, and visitors can generally expect to find an open outdoor arena with plenty of space for relaxing.
Within the UK, popular festivals include the Glastonbury Festival, Download Festival, and The Isle of Wight Festival, although there are hundreds of smaller festivals across the country.
2. Cultural festivals
Cultural festivals are usually those that embrace a particular aspect of a community’s culture. They tend to celebrate tradition or diversity, and may include music and dance, religious ceremonies, and more.
Cultural Festivals in the UK may include the likes of Holi, Diwali, or Easter.
3. Food festivals
Food festivals are all about good food and often take place in open, outdoor spaces alongside other entertainment. Visitors will typically find food stalls with a range of different foods, ready for customers to come and try something new.
Popular food festivals in the UK include the Taste of London Food Festival, Vegan Camp Out, York Food Festival, and others.
4. Arts festivals
Arts Festivals are all about artistic expression, and include everything from photography and painting, to dance, sculpture, performance art, and theatre. Visitors are expected to stop and appreciate the art, before engaging in dialogue about its meaning.
Arts Festivals in the UK include the Tête à Tête Opera Festival, The Bath Festival and the Southwold Arts Festival.
5. Film festivals
Film Festivals celebrate all things film, across all genres and from all countries. These festivals provide a showcase for up-and-coming directors and filmmakers, allowing them to make their mark and promote their work. Often times, the film’s director will be present to answer questions alongside the actors.
Film Festivals in the UK include Raindance, Sheffield DocFest, the BFI London Film Festival, and others.
What festival licences do I need?
Whichever type of festival you are running, there are a number of licence considerations that you should consider:
1. TEN licence
For small festivals with under 499 people (including staff), you may only need a TEN licence to proceed.
A TEN (Temporary Event Notice) is ideal for one-off events, and can be used in place of a Premises Licence if your event is shorter than 7 days.
When acquiring a TEN, you should ensure that you fill out the form thoroughly, or risk having it revoked.
Get in touch with John Gaunt & Partners today if you wish to discuss acquiring a TEN Licence, and we will guide you to ensure that every aspect of your event is added to the application.
2. Premises licence
A Premises Licence is the first and most important licence you will need for your festival. The licence itself covers a range of licensable activities, and is absolutely necessary if you wish to sell alcohol within your venue.
The Premises Licence is the first of two licences required to make alcohol sales. It is also the most complex licence, and failure to meet the requirements of the licence could result in your festival being shut down and penalties given.
When applying for your Premises Licence, these factors should be taken into account and considered very carefully:
The Operating Schedule of your festival
The Operating Schedule is one of the most critical elements of your Premises Licence, and must be accurate.
At this point in the application, you must detail how you will promote the following licensing objectives:
- The promotion of Public Safety
- The prevention of crime and disorder
- The prevention of public nuisance
- The protection of children from harm
Please ensure that this element of the application is as detailed as possible, as a single error may result in penalties or the closure of your festival.
Reach out to our team of experienced licensing specialists, and receive the best possible support for your Operating Schedule. We work with many properties and venues to help them get the best possible Premises Licence for their needs.
Your hours of operation
Hours of operation at a festival may fluctuate greatly. For instance, music festivals may have acts or events that run throughout the night. Therefore, it is vital that you understand exactly when the different elements of your festival take place, so you can fill out this section with as much accuracy as possible.
At John Gaunt & Partners, we leverage our vast experience to help you determine what hours work best for your festival. We can even make suggestions to help you make the most of the opening hours you have available.
Prove you are eligible to work within the UK
You must complete an immigration check at this point in the process, so you can prove that you are eligible to work in the UK.
Acquire DPS consent
The Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is a very important responsibility, so you must ensure you designate it to someone who is willing to take that on, such as a manager or owner.
Your DPS will also be one of the main holders of your Personal Licence, which is the second required licence for selling alcohol. As such, you must ensure you have their consent when completing your Premises Licence application.
When selecting your DPS, you should also consider that they must be willing to handle communications on the Premises Licence.
Consider the plan for your premises
Your premises plan will form an essential part of your licence and is also the part of your application that is most likely to be contested. With this in mind, you should know where each of your licensable activities will take place, and ensure you are as detailed as possible.
When filling out your premises plan, be sure to consider these elements:
- What are the boundaries of the venue? Are there any internal structures that need to be considered?
- Where will transactions take place? Tills of all types should be marked out.
- Where are the entrances and exits to the venue? Are customers restricted to those exits?
- Where are the toilets on site? Are there any other amenities available, like showers?
- Are there any steps or staircases that staff and customers must be aware of?
- If your festival is outside, do you have designated fire zones? If it is inside, or you have internal structures in your venue, where are your fire escapes?
- Are there any raised sections? This could include a stage or climbable ledge.
- Are there any other licensable activities that should be taken into consideration? For instance, there may be charity collectors at certain parts of the festival.
Special Considerations: Music Festivals
Music Festivals in particular have a lot of moving parts, and it is vital that you consider the following elements:
- Location - Most music festivals are on greenfield sites, where the perimeter is not always obvious. Be sure to understand exactly where the boundaries of your festival are. This can be especially important when it comes to the sale of alcohol, capacity limits, and festival-goers knowing where to go.
- Lay out campsites and car parks - It can be helpful to accurately lay out campsites and car parks. Getting people quickly and safely onto and off the site is essential, as is engagement with the Highways department. Will you need a specific traffic plan if road closures are required? This can take months to agree and implement. Experts can help you design your plan and get the necessary permissions to implement it.
- Off-sales of alcohol - If you are allowing festival-goers to purchase alcohol to bring back to their tents, you will need to be authorised for off-sales of alcohol.
- Is your location close enough to create noise complaints from local residents? Consider where your speakers will face to potentially reduce noise, and look at the contours of the land to understand how sound will travel from your stage locations.
- Speak to local residents early and explain the proposed plan. This can be a great way to bring them on side, and ensure they aren’t caught off guard by loud music or the greater volume of people.
- In many instances, the Local Authority will want you to engage with the Safety Advisory Group (SAG). These meeting bring together many Authorities who will have an interest in your event including, Highways, Ambulance, Fire, Noise teams and Licensing. The sooner you can engage with the SAG, the better.
- The SAG will want to see your Event Management Plan (EMP) which covers every aspect of the event from traffic to toilets and from first aid to food stalls.
Get festival licensing advice from the experts
If you are opening a festival venue, consider speaking to a professional licensing solicitor. Other issues applicants commonly face are:
Passing the Local Licensing Committee Review
Premises Licence applications for festivals can be prone to rejection, especially so with music festivals, which have a greater number of licensable considerations.
Whether you are running a large music festival or a small art festival, your Premises Licence application will always be reviewed by a Local Licensing Committee. The committee holds the power to accept or reject applications, and if your licence is rejected, you should consider how that will affect your festival start date.
Elements missing from the application
Festivals may have a lot of moving parts, especially if they take place over a number of days.
You should make sure that you keep in mind every single part of your festival when filling out your application, as any deviation from the Premises Licence without informed updates could result in your licence being revoked.
Responsible Authorities Checks
Please be aware that all Premises Licence applications are reviewed by Responsible Authorities. These Responsible Authorities include the Police, Environmental Health, and the Fire Office. When they review your licence, you may find they suggest changes. It can be difficult to refuse or negotiate these changes when dealing with third parties. And you may end up agreeing to something that you believe is against the best interests of your festival.
If you are struggling to negotiate with Responsible Authorities, please reach out to John Gaunt & Partners today by contact form, email or telephone.
We regularly represent applicants and negotiate with Responsible Authorities on their behalf, to help achieve the best possible Premises Licence for their needs.
3. Personal licence
If you wish to sell alcohol at your festival, you must acquire a Personal Licence for your DPS, and if your DPS is unavailable, any other responsible on-site staff. This licence grants the holder the right to authorise alcohol sales on the premises, and to sell alcohol themselves.
It is worth noting, especially with festivals where many bars may be available, that not all staff require a Personal Licence, but there must be at least one member of staff on-site who does have one at all times.
What do I need to get a Personal Licence?
There are a number of points you should consider if you are applying for a Personal Licence for you or members of your team:
- You or the member of your team must pass a DBS check
- You or the member of your team must not have forfeited a personal licence within the last 5 years
- An APLH or similar accreditation is required
At John Gaunt & Partners, we help teams get the proper APLH accreditation through our APLH e-learning courses.
Alongside these courses, we also provide Customer Service, Allergen Awareness, and Food Safety courses.
View our Training Courses today
4. Register as a food business
If you plan to serve food to your customers on-site, you must register as a food business.
You can register as a food business with your local authority. For instance, a festival held in Sheffield should register through the Sheffield City Council website. If you are unsure which council your festival falls under, use the gov.uk local council finder to find out.
Please be aware that it is recommended that you register as a food business at least 28 days before opening.
If you require any assistance in registering as a food business, please contact us today.
5. Pavement licences
You may wish to advertise your festival across surrounding areas using an A-board. If so, you should also apply for a Pavement Licence before your festival opens.
A Pavement Licence allows you to place removable furniture in designated areas outside of your premises, and must be acquired through your local council.
The application fee for Pavement Licences is currently capped at £100. Please be aware though, that this area of the law is quite complex, and varies from region to region.
6. Become a registered company
It is standard practice for limited companies to register themselves through Companies House.
If you are running your festival as a sole trader, you may not need to go through Companies House, but should register your business with HMRC.
7. Insurance for your festival
There are many types of insurance to consider when running a festival. The below list of insurances is not exhaustive, but should give you a good starting point:
- Public Liability Insurance
- Employer's Liability Insurance
- Contents Insurance
8. Music licence
For many festivals (and music festivals in particular), a Music Licence is absolutely vital.
Music Licences allow you to play any kind of recorded music on your premises, whether it be by Spotify, CD, vinyl, music channel, or radio.
Most importantly, a Music Licence is required if you have a stage for live music events.
For more information on a Music Licence, visit the PPL PRS website.
How much does it cost to get a festival licensed?
The overall cost of your festival licences depends upon what kind of festival you wish to run. Large Music Festival licensing is likely to cost a lot more than the licensing for a small Arts Festival.
Here is a rundown of some costs, although please be aware that some costs may change from region to region:
TEN Cost
Acquiring a TEN is relatively inexpensive, costing only £21 per notice.
Personal Licence Cost
To acquire a Personal Licence, you must pay £37 per applicant to your local authority to cover application fees. You should also consider a cost of £36+VAT for each DBS check.
Through John Gaunt, APLH training costs only £120 + VAT per person. We also offer an APLH combined course option, which provides the course, exam APLH qualification, DBS check and Personal Licence Application in a single package. The combined course costs £306.83 + VAT per person.
If you are based in Scotland, the SCPLH Training course also costs £120 + VAT, whereas the SCPLH combined course costs £290 + VAT.
Premises Licence Cost
Premises Licence fees can cost anywhere between £100 to £1905 dependent upon the premises’ rateable value, and are payable to the local authority.
As you proceed through your Premises Licence application, you will be required to advertise your application through the local press and on the premises itself. Consider getting in touch with John Gaunt & Partner’s press agent when advertising through the local press. Our press agent may be able to get you discounted rates.
For a better indication of fees for your Premises Licence, review our Premises Licence Costs page for more information. You can also reach out directly to our team, who will be able to help you cost up the Premises Licence amount once they have an understanding of the exact requirements for your business.
Do you require support with your festival licensing?
Festivals can be very complex to licence for, and there are many pitfalls which may surprise you and see your licence revoked and penalties given.
If you require any support acquiring your festival licences, be sure to reach out to a member of our specialist licensing team today by contact form, email or telephone.