Temporary event notice: how venues and caterers serve alcohol at one off events
A temporary event notice, usually called a TEN, lets you carry out licensable activities at a place that is not licensed for them, or outside the terms of its licence, for a short event. For venues and caterers in England and Wales that means selling alcohol at a barn wedding, a pop up bar at a corporate party, or late night hot food at a festival. A TEN is a notice, not an application: if the police and environmental health do not object, the event can go ahead. This guide covers the limits, the fee, the deadlines and the mistakes that get notices refused.
By Pratham Shankwalker · checked against official sources · last reviewed 2026-10-02
Quick answer
A TEN costs £21 and covers one event of up to 168 hours with fewer than 500 people at any time, staff included. Give it to the council at least 10 clear working days before the event, or 5 to 9 days for a late TEN. A person can give 5 TENs a year, or 50 with a personal licence, and one venue can host 15 a year totalling 21 days.
- Fee
- £21 per notice
- Maximum attendance
- Fewer than 500, staff included
- Maximum length
- 168 hours (7 days)
- Standard notice
- 10 clear working days
- Per venue each year
- 15 TENs, 21 days in total
What a TEN covers
Under the Licensing Act 2003 a TEN can cover any licensable activity. GOV.UK lists selling alcohol, supplying alcohol to members of a private club, providing regulated entertainment such as music, dancing or indoor sporting events, and serving hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am.
Venues use TENs in two ways. Unlicensed venues, such as marquees, village halls without a licence, farms and private estates, use them for every event where alcohol is sold. Licensed venues use them to go beyond their licence for a single night, for example to run later than the licence allows for a New Year's Eve party.
A TEN is a light touch process, which is why it suits one off events. It is not a substitute for a premises licence if you host events most weekends. Once you regularly run into the yearly limits below, it is time to talk to the council about a full premises licence.
Step by step
- 1
Check whether you need a TEN at all
If the venue already holds a premises licence that covers selling alcohol and entertainment for the hours you want, you may not need one. A TEN is for activities the venue's licence does not cover, or for places with no licence.
- 2
Agree who gives the notice
The person giving the notice is the premises user and must be at least 18. For a wedding at an unlicensed venue this is often the caterer or bar company running the bar, not the couple. Agree it in writing in your booking terms.
- 3
Count the limits before you submit
Check how many TENs the premises user has given this year, how many the venue has hosted, and how many days they add up to. The limits apply per calendar year.
- 4
Submit at least 10 clear working days ahead
Give the notice to the council's licensing team, usually online, with the £21 fee. Clear working days exclude the day you submit and the day of the event, as well as weekends and bank holidays.
- 5
Wait for the objection window to pass
The police and environmental health have 3 working days from receiving the notice to object. If nobody objects, you receive an acknowledgement and the event can go ahead. Keep a copy at the bar on the day.
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The limits: people, hours and numbers per year
Every limit applies at once, and a notice that breaks any of them is invalid. Most refused notices come from venues that forgot how many TENs they had already hosted that year.
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| People at the event | Fewer than 500 at any one time, including staff, performers and stewards |
| Length of one event | Up to 168 hours (7 days) |
| TENs per venue each year | 15, as long as the total does not exceed 21 days |
| Gap between events at one venue | At least 24 hours between the end of one TEN and the start of the next by the same premises user |
| TENs per person without a personal licence | 5 a year, of which up to 2 can be late TENs |
| TENs per personal licence holder | 50 a year, of which up to 10 can be late TENs |
| Fee | £21 per notice |
Deadlines: standard TEN and late TEN
A standard TEN must reach the licensing authority at least 10 clear working days before the event. Copies go to the police and to the council's environmental health team; when you submit online through GOV.UK or the council, the council usually passes them on, but check your council's page.
A late TEN can be given between 5 and 9 clear working days before the event. It is meant for genuine short notice events, and it carries a real risk: if the police or environmental health object to a late TEN, it is refused outright. There is no hearing and no chance to agree conditions.
With a standard TEN, an objection leads to a hearing at the council's licensing committee unless everyone agrees to withdraw it. The committee can let the event go ahead, add conditions that already apply to the venue's licence, or issue a counter notice that stops it.
- Count clear working days carefully: do not include the day the council receives the notice or the day of the event.
- Weekends and bank holidays do not count, so a notice for a Saturday event needs to go in well before the Friday two weeks earlier.
- For a busy wedding season, diarise every TEN when the booking is confirmed, not a fortnight before.
What the police or environmental health object to
Objections must relate to the licensing objectives: preventing crime and disorder, public safety, preventing public nuisance and protecting children from harm. In practice, objections to event TENs usually concern noise from amplified music late at night, crowd management at larger events, or a history of problems at the site.
A short covering note helps. Say who is running the bar, how you will check ages, where the music will be and when it stops, and how guests will leave. For outdoor events, mention the marquee position and the distance to the nearest houses. Environmental health officers are far less likely to object when they can see you have thought about neighbours.
Who does what: the venue, the caterer and the client
Confusion over who gives the notice causes most last minute problems. The premises user named on the TEN is responsible for the event's licensable activities and must be present or reachable. That should be the business that controls the bar.
If you are a venue without a licence, write the TEN arrangement into your hire agreement: who gives the notice, by when, and what happens if it is refused. If you are a mobile bar or caterer, ask the venue how many TENs it has hosted that year before you count on one. A venue that has used its 15 cannot host a sixteenth, whoever gives the notice.
- Venue: tracks the number of TENs and total days used at its premises this year.
- Bar operator or caterer: gives the notice, pays the fee, runs age checks and keeps the acknowledgement on site.
- Client: confirms guest numbers stay under 500 and agrees finish times for music and the bar.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
TENs are part of the Licensing Act 2003, which covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own licensing laws and different permissions for one off events, so check with the local licensing board or council there before you plan a bar.
Keeping TENs on track across a season of events
A venue running summer weddings in a marquee can burn through 15 notices and 21 days faster than expected, especially when weekend events run over two days. Keep a running count for the calendar year next to your bookings, and check it before you confirm any date that depends on a TEN.
Venura's venue app (web, Android and iOS) keeps every booking, enquiry, quotation and invoice in one calendar, so you can see which confirmed events rely on a TEN and plan submissions around the 10 working day deadline. Venura does not submit notices to the council; you or your bar operator do that through GOV.UK or the council's licensing team.
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Temporary event notice: questions from the United Kingdom
How much does a temporary event notice cost?
The fee is £21 per notice, paid to the council's licensing authority when you give the notice. The fee is the same for a standard TEN and a late TEN, so a late notice saves no money and carries more risk.
How far in advance do I need to apply for a TEN?
A standard TEN must be given at least 10 clear working days before the event. A late TEN can be given 5 to 9 clear working days before. Clear working days exclude weekends, bank holidays, the day the council receives the notice and the day of the event.
How many TENs can a venue have in a year?
A single premises can host up to 15 TENs in a calendar year, as long as the events add up to no more than 21 days in total. There must be at least 24 hours between events given by the same premises user at the same venue.
How many people can attend an event under a TEN?
Fewer than 500 people at any one time, and that count includes staff, organisers, stewards and performers. If you expect 500 or more, you need a premises licence for the event, which takes much longer to obtain.
What is the difference between a TEN and a premises licence?
A TEN is a short notice for one event with strict limits on size and frequency. A premises licence is a permanent licence for a venue, granted after an application and consultation, that suits places hosting events regularly or with more than 499 people.
What happens if the police object to a late TEN?
A late TEN is refused if the police or environmental health object, with no hearing. That is why late TENs are risky for weddings and paid events. A standard TEN that receives an objection goes to a hearing where it may still be allowed.
Does a wedding at a licensed venue need a TEN?
Usually not, if the venue's premises licence already covers selling alcohol and entertainment for the hours of the wedding. A TEN is only needed if you want to do something the licence does not cover, such as running the bar past its licensed closing time.
More for United Kingdom venues
Temporary event notice in other countries
Sources
- GOV.UK: Temporary events notice (checked 2026-10-02)
- Licensing Act 2003, Part 5: permitted temporary activities (legislation.gov.uk) (checked 2026-10-02)
- Cambridge City Council: temporary event notices (checked 2026-10-02)
- Wandsworth Council: giving a temporary event notice (checked 2026-10-02)
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: Guidance notes for Temporary Event Notices (checked 2026-10-02)
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the authority linked above before you apply or sign.
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