Activities for which a licence is required
Activities for which a premises or individual must have a licence under the Licensing Act 2003 are called 'licensable activities'.
Licensable activities are:
- the sale by retail of alcohol
- the supply of alcohol by or on behalf of a club to, or to the order of, a member of a club
- the provision of regulated entertainment – details are provided below
- the provision of late night refreshment
Our alcohol and entertainment licensing pages give details of different licence types.
Regulated entertainment
Regulated entertainment includes:
- a performance of a play
- an exhibition of a film
- an indoor sporting event
- a boxing or wrestling entertainment
- a performance of live music
- any playing of recorded music
- a performance of dance
- entertainment similar to a performance of dance or live music or playing recorded music
Conditions and exemptions apply to each type of regulated entertainment, as specified below.
Performance of a play
No licence is required for performances between 8am and 11pm on any day, provided the audience does not exceed 500.
Exhibition of a film
No licence is required for exhibiting a film on a 'not-for-profit' basis in community premises between 8am and 11pm on any day, provided:
- the audience does not exceed 500
- the organiser gets consent to the screening from a person who is responsible for the premises
- the organiser makes sure each such screening abides by age classification ratings
Indoor sporting events
No licence is required for performances between 8am and 11pm on any day, provided the audience does not exceed 1,000.
Boxing or wrestling entertainment
No licence is required for a contest, exhibition or display of Greco-Roman wrestling or freestyle wrestling between 8am and 11pm on any day, provided the audience does not exceed 1,000.
Combined fighting sports – that is, a contest, exhibition or display combining boxing or wrestling with one or more martial arts – are licensable as a boxing or wrestling entertainment rather than an indoor sporting event.
Performance of live music
No licence permission is required for a performance of unamplified live music between 8am and 11pm on any day, on any premises.
No licence permission is required for a performance of amplified live music between 8am and 11pm on any day:
- on premises authorised to sell alcohol for consumption on those premises, provided the audience does not exceed 500
- in a workplace not licensed to sell alcohol on those premises, provided the audience does not exceed 500
- in a church hall, village hall, community hall or similar community premises, not licensed by a premises licence to sell alcohol, provided the audience does not exceed 500 and the organiser gets consent for the performance from a person responsible for the premises
- at the non-residential premises of a local authority, school or hospital, provided the audience does not exceed 500, and the organiser gets consent for the performance from the organisation responsible for the premises
Playing of recorded music
No licence permission is required for any playing of recorded music between 8am and 11pm on any day:
- on premises authorised to sell alcohol for consumption on those premises, provided the audience does not exceed 500
- in a church hall, village hall, community hall, or similar community premises, that is not licensed by a premises licence to sell alcohol, provided the audience does not exceed 500, and the organiser gets consent for the performance from a person who is responsible for the premises
- at the non-residential premises of a local authority, school or hospital, provided the audience does not exceed 500, and the organiser gets consent for the performance from the organisation responsible for the premises
Performance of dance
No licence is required for performances of dance between 8am and 11pm on any day, provided the audience does not exceed 500. A performance that amounts to adult entertainment remains licensable, however.
Exemptions that apply to any regulated entertainment
No licence is required between 8am and 11pm on any day, with no limit on audience size for:
- any entertainment taking place on the premises of the local authority, where the entertainment is provided by, or on behalf of, the local authority
- any entertainment taking place on the hospital premises of the health care provider, where the entertainment is provided by, or on behalf of, the health care provider
- any entertainment taking place on the premises of the school, where the entertainment is provided by, or on behalf of, the school proprietor
- any entertainment, other than films or a boxing or wrestling entertainment, taking place at a travelling circus, provided it takes place within a moveable structure that accommodates the audience, and the travelling circus has not been located on the same site for more than 28 consecutive days
Further advice
If you're not sure whether your activity in Thurrock is licensable, you should contact us for advice.