Temporary Event Notice (TEN) guidance notes

There are a number of exemptions that mean a licence is no longer required. As a result of these deregulatory changes no licence is required for the following activities to the extent that they take place between 08:00-23:00 on any day:

• a performance of a play in the presence of any audience of no more than 500 people
• an indoor sporting event in the presence of any audience of no more than 1,000 people
• most performances of dance in the presence of any audience of no more than 500 people;
• exhibition of a film, where it satisfies the following:
  • for 'not-for-profit' film exhibition in a community premises,
  • in the presence of any audience of no more than 500 people;
  • the organiser obtains consent for the screening, from the person responsible for the premises;
  • the organiser ensures that each screening abides by age classification ratings;
• boxing or wrestling entertainment, for a contest, exhibition or display of Greco-Roman wrestling, or freestyle wrestling, in the presence of any audience of no more than 1,000 people
• live music, where the live music comprises:
  • a performance of unamplified live music;
  • a performance of live amplified music in a workplace with an audience of no more than 500 people;
  • a performance of live music on alcohol licensed premises which takes place in the presence of an audience of no more than 500 people, provided that a number of important conditions are satisfied;
  • a performance of live amplified music in a church hall, village hall, community hall, or other similar community premises, in the presence of an audience of no more than 500 people, with the consent of the person responsible for the premises; or
  • a performance of live amplified music at a local authority, school or a hospital with an audience of no more than 500 people with the consent of the person responsible for the relevant premises;
• recorded music, that comprises:
  • playing of recorded music on alcohol licensed premises which takes place in the presence of an audience of no more than 500 people;
  • playing of recorded music in a church hall, village hall, community hall, or other similar community premises, in the presence of an audience of no more than 500 people, with the consent of the person responsible for the premises;
  • playing of recorded music at a local authority, school or a hospital with an audience of no more than 500 people with the consent of the person responsible for the relevant premises;
• cross activity exemptions with no limit on audience size for:
  • any entertainment taking place on the premises of the local authority where the entertainment is provided by or on behalf of the local authority;
  • any entertainment taking place on the hospital premises of the health care provider where the entertainment is provided by or on behalf of the health care provider;
  • any entertainment taking place on the premises of the school where the entertainment is provided by or on behalf of the school proprietor; and
  • any entertainment (excluding films and a boxing or wrestling entertainment) taking place at a travelling circus, within a moveable structure that accommodates the audience and not located on the same site for more than 28 consecutive days.

A Personal Licence Holder may apply for 50 TENs (including 10 late TENS) in any calendar year and a non-Personal Licence Holder may apply for 5 TENs (including 2 late TENS) in any calendar year.

Premises can have up to 15 TENs per calendar year, to a maximum of 21 days. A TEN can run for a maximum of 168 hours but that will count as seven days against the location’s number of days per calendar year also if a TEN runs past midnight that will count as 2 days. If applying for more than 1 TEN for the same premises there must be at least 24 hours between one TEN ending and another TEN beginning.

The application for a standard TEN must be made at least ten working days before the event (not including weekends or bank holidays). The application for a late TEN must be served no later than 5 working days before the event but no earlier than 9 working days before the event (not including weekends or bank holidays).

'working days' means working days not including the day of the event nor the day the notice is served on the Authority.