If you're organising a temporary event and want to serve or sell alcohol, provide late night refreshment, or put on regulated entertainment, you'll need to complete a temporary event notice (TEN).
Notification must be made at least ten clear working days before the event. Clear working days do not include the day your council receives your application or the day of the event. Notifications are subject to the following restrictions:
- the maximum permitted period for any one event is 168 hours (7 days)
- there may be no more than 15 Temporary Event Notices at any one premises per calendar year
- there should be no more than 21 event days in total in any one premises per calendar year
- there must be at least 24 hours between TENs at any one premises
- there shall be no more than 499 persons present at any one time
- a personal licence holder may apply for up to 50 TENs in any calendar year (including 10 Late TENs)
- a non personal licence holder may apply for no more than 5 TENs per year (including 2 Late TENs)
Please note that a copy of the TEN must be sent to the council's pollution control section and to the Police on the same day that you send the notice to the licensing section.
If the TEN is submitted on the government website, then you do not need to send these copies.
It should be noted that giving a temporary event notice does not relieve the premises user from any requirements under planning law.
Late Temporary Event Notices
Late TENs are intended to be used by premises users who are required for reasons outside their control to, for example, change the venue at short notice. They should only be used in exceptional circumstances.
Late TENs can be given up to five working days (but no earlier than nine working days) before the event is scheduled.
How to apply
Apply online:
Apply by post:
Please complete the application form and send a copy to each of the following (form only, any payments go just to Cardiff Council):
Licensing,
Cardiff Council,
County Hall,
Atlantic Wharf,
Cardiff,
CF10 4UW
Chief Officer of Police at Eastern BCUCardiff Bay Police Station (Licensing Section)James StreetCardiffCF10 5EW
Operation ManagerPollution ControlCardiff CouncilCity HallCardiffCF10 3ND
How much will the licence cost?
The fee for a temporary event notice is £21.
Alcohol and entertainment licence fees and charges (PDF, 152 KB)
We accept the following methods of payment: Debit card (by phone only - 0300 123 6696) Cheque (made payable to 'Cardiff Council')
What happens next?
Once your TEN application is received, each of the recipients has 3 working days to make any objections to it on the grounds of any of the four licensing objectives:
- prevention of crime and disorder
- prevention of public nuisance
- public safety
- protection of children from harm
If there are no objections the event can go ahead as planned.
If there are objections, we will organise a hearing to consider the evidence and may decide that your event cannot go ahead. If there is an objection to a late TEN the event will not be allowed to proceed.
If you would like any help or advice please contact us.
Shared Regulatory Services
Tel: 0300 123 6696. Please follow the options for Cardiff Licensing.
Cardiff Council Licensing
Tel: 029 2087 1651
Phone lines are open Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm.
