Check what licences your party venue needs: 4 permissions that protect your event

Most venues selling alcohol or providing entertainment need a premises licence from the local council. Without the right permissions, your event could be stopped mid-celebration or you might find yourself personally liable for breaches you didn't know about. The good news: checking a venue's licences takes minutes, and knowing what to look for means you can book with confidence. Central Square walks you through the permissions a venue should have in place before you pay a deposit.

Understand what a premises licence covers

A premises licence is the main permission a venue needs from its local licensing authority — usually the district or borough council. It sets out what activities the venue can offer, when it can offer them, and any conditions attached. The four activities that need licensing are selling alcohol, serving alcohol as part of an event, providing regulated entertainment such as live or recorded music, and offering late-night refreshment after eleven at night.

If your event involves any of these, the venue must hold the appropriate permission. A village hall that lets you bring your own drinks and play background music from a phone might not need any licence at all, while a pub function room or hired event space with a bar will almost certainly have one.

The licence stays with the premises, not the hirer. You don't apply for it — the venue does — but you do need to know it exists and what it allows.

Recognise the limits a licence sets

Every premises licence states the hours during which each activity is permitted. A venue might be licensed to sell alcohol until midnight but only to provide entertainment until eleven. If your party runs past the entertainment cut-off and someone turns the music up, the venue — and potentially you — could be in breach.

Some licences include conditions such as a maximum capacity, requirements for door staff, or restrictions on outdoor areas. Read the summary the venue provides. If the venue can't show you a current licence or a clear extract, that's a warning sign worth heeding.

Ask to see the licence before you pay

A responsible venue will share a copy of its premises licence when asked. The document should name the licensable activities, the permitted hours and any conditions the council has imposed. Check that the activities match what you're planning: if you want a live band and the licence only covers recorded music, the venue may not be able to accommodate your request legally.

Look for the name of the designated premises supervisor, often called the DPS. This person holds a personal licence and is responsible for the day-to-day running of licensed activities. If the venue has no DPS listed and it sells alcohol, something is wrong.

Check the register online

Most councils publish a public register of premises licences on their websites. Search for the venue's address and you'll find the licence summary, often as a PDF. This register is free to view and is the most reliable way to confirm what a venue has told you.

If the register shows no current licence and the venue claims to have one, ask for clarification. Mistakes happen, but a missing or lapsed licence is a serious issue that can derail your event.

Confirm the venue can host entertainment

Regulated entertainment includes live music, recorded music played to an audience, performances of dance, and indoor sporting events. A venue needs a licence to provide any of these unless it qualifies for one of the exemptions — for example, unamplified live music during the day in certain settings, or recorded music played to fewer than a set number of people.

If your event involves a DJ, a band, or even a playlist through a sound system that reaches beyond background level, check that the venue's entertainment permission covers it. Some licences limit the type of entertainment, the volume, or the time of day it can take place.

Small gatherings in private spaces sometimes fall outside the licensing regime altogether, but if you're hiring a commercial venue or a community hall that opens to the public, assume you need the permission until the venue proves otherwise. Planning entertainment within venue sound rules covers the practical side of noise limits once the licence is in place.

Verify alcohol permissions match your plans

A venue licensed to sell alcohol can usually provide a bar for your event. A venue without that permission cannot sell drinks, but it may allow you to bring your own under what's known as dry hire. If you're arranging your own alcohol and the venue has no licence, you don't personally need one as long as you're not selling drinks to guests.

Where confusion arises is when a venue claims you can run your own bar or charge guests for drinks. Selling alcohol, even on a cost-recovery basis at a private party, requires a licence. If the venue doesn't hold one and you intend to charge for drinks, you'll need to apply for a temporary event notice through the council — a short permission for a specific occasion.

Ask the venue directly: can we serve alcohol without charging, and if we want to charge, who holds the permission? The answer should be immediate and clear. Arrange catering at your hired venue explains how alcohol permissions interact with food and drink planning.

Look for temporary event notices where needed

Some venues operate without a full premises licence and instead rely on temporary event notices for each booking. A TEN allows a venue or an individual to host a one-off event with up to a certain number of guests for a limited period. If your venue uses this system, the responsibility for applying might fall to them or to you, depending on the contract.

Clarify who applies for the TEN, how far in advance it must be submitted, and what happens if the council refuses it. A last-minute refusal can cancel your event, so this needs sorting early.

Follow these steps to check before you book

1. Ask the venue for a copy of its premises licence or a written summary of what it covers — activities, hours and conditions.
2. Search the local council's public register using the venue's full address to confirm the licence is current and matches what you've been told.
3. Note the permitted hours for alcohol and entertainment, and make sure they align with your event's schedule.
4. Check whether your event needs a temporary event notice if the venue has no full licence, and confirm who will apply for it and by when.

Spot the red flags that signal trouble

A venue that cannot or will not show you its licence is a venue to avoid. Legitimate operators know this question is coming and have the paperwork ready. Evasive answers, expired documents, or a claim that "it's all taken care of" without evidence should make you walk away.

Be wary of venues that offer activities their licence doesn't cover — a hall that promises a late bar when the register shows an earlier cut-off, or a space advertising live music that has no entertainment permission. These aren't just administrative oversights; they expose you to the risk of enforcement action, fines, or a shut-down on the night.

Understand your liability as a hirer

The venue holds the licence, but as the person organising the event you can still face consequences if something goes wrong. If you serve alcohol beyond the permitted hours, allow entertainment in breach of the licence, or exceed capacity limits, you could be held jointly responsible.

Make sure the contract states clearly which responsibilities sit with the venue and which sit with you. Where the venue provides staff to manage the bar or control the sound system, those tasks should remain theirs. Where you're bringing your own caterer or DJ, check what permissions and insurance they need to work within the venue's licence conditions. Ask these questions when viewing a wedding venue includes contract clauses that clarify liability.

Compare permission types at a glance

Know when exemptions apply

Certain small-scale activities don't need a licence at all. Unamplified acoustic music during daytime hours in some settings, recorded music played quietly to a handful of people, and private events where no alcohol is sold may all fall outside the licensing rules.

However, these exemptions have strict limits and are easily breached if your plans grow. A garden party with a stereo and no charge for drinks is usually fine; the same party with a hired PA system and a ticket price crosses the line. When in doubt, assume a licence is needed and ask the venue or the council to confirm otherwise.

Check insurance covers licensed activities

A venue's public liability insurance should cover licensed activities taking place on the premises, but your own event insurance might not. If you're arranging alcohol service, entertainment, or catering yourself, confirm that your policy extends to these areas and that the venue's insurance won't exclude claims arising from your contractors.

Some venues require hirers to provide proof of insurance before confirming a booking. This is sensible practice and protects both parties. Read the small print: an insurer might exclude cover if the event breaches licensing conditions, leaving you exposed.

#Entertainment licence #Contract terms

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