Temporary Event Notices for the festive season: is your venue ready to sleigh?

Gill Sherratt, Head of Licensing

The festive season is fast approaching and so are the deadlines for submitting Temporary Event Notices (TENs)

Temporary Events Notice are effectively a temporary licence that can be used for many purposes at your premises, one example is allowing you to extend your usual trading hours for a particular event.

A TEN can be particularly useful during the busy festive period. With Christmas Eve falling on a Thursday this year, venue operators should review their proposed trading hours now, confirm whether those hours are covered by their premises licence and identify any additional permission required.

How can I prepare my venue?

With less than two months to go, review the following key areas to ensure your premises is ready for the festive period:

Check your licensed hours

• Don’t assume your usual licence automatically covers your festive plans. Check the hours permitted under your premises licence against the hours you intend to trade.

Do you need to a Temporary Event Notice?

• If your existing licence doesn’t cover the hours you have planned for your venue, you may need to lodge a TEN. Plan ahead and check the applicable deadlines early.

Review your premises licence and confirm compliance

• If you are planning a DJ, live music or late-night food, review your premises licence to confirm that it covers each proposed activity and whether any conditions apply.

Review your policies and procedures

• Longer opening hours and busier events can create additional operational challenges. Before the festive rush begins, review your existing policies and procedures and ensure that your team understands the requirements, conditions and operational procedures that apply to your premises.

Apply for any additional permissions early

• Do not leave your licensing arrangements until the Christmas decorations are already up. If you know you will need additional permissions, start planning now. Check the relevant deadlines and submit any necessary notices as early as possible to put your venue in the best position to make the most of the festive trading period.

Plan now for compliant festive trading

Our licensing team is on hand to help review your current permissions, identify any additional steps required and help prepare your  premises for festive trading. Contact us at [email protected] or call 0161 832 3434.