Temporary events notice

You will need a temporary events notice (TEN) if you want to carry out a ‘licensable activity’ on unlicensed premises.

Licensable activity includes:

You will also need a TEN if you want to operate outside the terms of your existing premises licence.

Restrictions

Your event must:

  • have fewer than 500 people at all times – including staff running the event
  • last no more than 168 hours (7 days)

You must be at least 18 to apply for a TEN.

You can only apply for a TEN as an individual, not an organisation.

Number of notices you can apply for

You need a TEN for each event you hold on the same premises.

You can get up to 5 TENs a year. If you already have a personal licence to sell alcohol, you can be given up to 50 TENs a year.

During 2022 and 2023, a single premises can have up to 20 TENs applied for in one year, as long as the total length of the events is not more than 26 days.

If you’re organising separate but consecutive events, there must be at least a 24 hour gap between them.

Apply

You must apply at least 10 clear working days before your event.

Apply for a TEN

To apply for a TEN, you also need to:

  • pay the £21 fee

We will acknowledge your application within one working day of receiving it.

Once you have applied online, we will inform the local police and Environmental Health services of your application. 

Late TENs

The latest you can apply for a ‘late TEN’ is 5 clear working days before the event (but not earlier than 9 clear working days).

Apply for a late TEN

If you do not hold a personal licence, you can serve up to 2 late TENs per year. If you hold a personal licence, the limit is 10. Late TENs count towards the total number of permitted TENs.

Objections

We can only refuse a notice if the police or Environmental Health object to it. They must do this within 3 working days of receiving the notice. They can only object if they think your event could:

  • lead to crime and disorder
  • cause a public nuisance
  • threaten public safety
  • put children at risk of harm

If there is an objection, we will hold a hearing, where we will either approve, add conditions or reject your notice. You can appeal their decision at the magistrates court within 21 days of them making it, and at least 5 working days before your event.

If the police or Environmental Health object to a late TEN, you will not be able to hold the event.

If we do refuse your notice, we will serve a formal counter notice. We will not refund your fee.

Displaying your notice

You must keep your TEN in a safe place where the event is held.

You must also display a copy of the notice where it can be easily seen.