At this time of year licensed premises (restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs) benefit from a larger boom in trade than at other times of the year. Typically most licensed premises can attribute an increase in trade to Christmas parties and one-off events taking place during the festive season.
Prior to agreeing to host such events it is key for operators to check the provisions of their Premises Licence to ascertain whether they are allowed to operate in this manner without further authorisation.
How can I get longer opening hours at my licensed premises?
The additional hours typically required for Christmas parties can be obtained by:
- A variation of the Premises Licence; or
- A Temporary Event Notice
Variation of a Premises Licence
A variation of the Premises Licence (a full variation) will typically be costly and involves paying the full premises licence fee and also paying for public notice to appear in a newspaper. It is also a time-consuming process as the application form is lengthy and various authorities need to be given a copy.
However, once an operator is granted a variation, they will be able to continue trading those agreed and extended hours on an ongoing basis.
Temporary Event Notice
Alternatively, many operators opt to apply for a Temporary Event Notice if their event:
- Has fewer than 500 people at all times – including staff running the event; and
- Lasts no more than 168 hours (7 days)
This option will offer the additional hours required during any temporary boom in trade without the delays attached to a full variation application and – most attractively for many Operators – a Temporary Event Notice will not incur the unavoidable costs of a full variation.
If you are planning to host Christmas parties/ events at your licensed premises in the coming weeks and months and would like to be able to sell alcohol outside the normal hours for trade please do not hesitate to contact the Levi Solicitors’ Licensing Department who can advise you as to how best to achieve this.
Contact Levi Solicitors’ Licensing Department on 0113 297 1875.
