Regulated entertainment

About regulated entertainment 

Regulated entertainment is provided in front of an audience and is: 

• provided for members of the public, or
• provided exclusively for members of a private qualifying club and their guests, or
• arranged by someone who is trying to make a profit 

Examples include: 

• dancing by the public or performers
• film exhibitions
• indoor sporting events, boxing or wrestling
• live music including karaoke
• plays
• recorded music
• similar to live music, recorded music or dancing by the public or performers 

Entertainment will always need regulating if: 

• it’s provided to over 500 people (or over 1000 people for indoors sporting events)
• provided between 11pm and 5am
• boxing or wrestling 

Entertainment that’s not regulated 

Some entertainment does not need regulating with any licensing permission. 

Performances taking place between 8am and 11pm to less than 500 people of: 

• plays or dance
• film exhibitions held in a community premises such as a community centre, village hall or church hall
• amplified live and recorded music performed on premises licensed to sell alcohol or in a community premises
• any entertainment provided by and taking place in a school, hospital or council premises (excluding boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts) 

Performances taking place between 8am and 11pm of: 

• unamplified live music for an audience of any size, in any location
• indoor sporting events to less than 1000 people (excluding boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts) 

If music causes a public nuisance, we may regulate it following a review of the premises licence. 

Other common exemptions 

Entertainment provided at: 

• garden fetes (unless held for private gain)
• in a moving vehicle
• places of public religious worship 

Films: 

• as part of an exhibition in a museum or gallery
• solely or mainly to demonstrate a product, advertise goods or services, or provide information, education or instruction 

Other entertainment: 

• Morris dancing
• religious meetings or services
• tv and radio broadcasts, providing they are shown live and not recorded 

Incidental entertainment: 

• provided for background entertainment rather than being the main purpose for people attending an event, such as background music in a supermarket