For organisers · United Kingdom

Running a village fete, show or one-off event in the UK

The rules for a small, one-off outdoor event in the UK are lighter than most first-time organisers expect. This is the starting checklist: what you actually need to arrange, what you can usually skip, and where to check the detail for your own event.

If your event is small, on private or borrowed land, and doesn't sell alcohol late into the evening, there's a good chance you need less paperwork than you think. But three things trip up almost every first-time organiser: alcohol, food stalls and inflatables. Get those three right and most of the rest is common sense and a phone call to your local council.

Selling or serving alcohol

If you're serving alcohol, even just a licensed bar tent at a fete, you'll usually need a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) from your local council. It costs £21, must be given at least 10 working days before the event, and covers up to 499 people. Most councils process these quickly if you're inside the window; leave it later and you risk a rejection with no time to fix it.

gov.uk has the official TEN application →

Public liability insurance

Not always a legal requirement, but in practice most landowners, councils and venue owners will not let you use their ground without it, and it's genuinely cheap protection against a real risk. Typical one-day event cover for a small fete runs roughly £50–£150 depending on numbers and activities; get a quote early, not the week before.

Road closures

Only relevant if your event spills onto a public road (a village procession, a street market, a fun run through the lanes). This needs a formal Temporary Traffic Regulation Order from the local highway authority and takes weeks, not days, to arrange, if any part of your event touches the road, this is the one to start earliest.

Food stalls

Any stallholder selling food needs to register their food business with their home local authority at least 28 days before trading, this is the stallholder's responsibility, not yours as organiser, but it's worth checking with them ahead of the day.

Food Standards Agency: registering a food business →

Bouncy castles and inflatables

The operator should hold current PIPA or ADIPS inspection certification (ask to see the tag on the unit itself) and be correctly staked and supervised throughout. Squarely the operator's responsibility, but a fair thing to ask about before you book them.

HSE guidance on inflatable safety →

England is the baseline above. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own licensing systems, so if your event is outside England, check with your own local authority before assuming the England rules apply directly.

None of this replaces proper advice for a large or complex event. This guide is aimed squarely at the fete-sized, one-off, village-hall-and-a-marquee kind of event. If in doubt, your local council's events or licensing team will usually talk you through it for free.

Useful links

Temporary Event Notice (TEN) application · gov.uk
Register a food business · Food Standards Agency
Inflatable and bouncy castle safety · HSE
Business and event insurance basics · gov.uk

General information, not legal advice, rules vary by nation and by council, and change over time. Always confirm with your own local authority before relying on this.