Temporary Event Notices (TENs)

When does a craft fair need a TEN?

You need a TEN if your event involves any of the following and the venue does not already have a premises licence covering them:

• Sale or supply of alcohol.
• Provision of regulated entertainment (live music, recorded music, dancing, plays, films, though some exemptions exist for small venues).
• Provision of late-night refreshment (serving hot food or hot drink to the public between 11pm and 5am).

If your craft fair is during the day and does not involve alcohol or late-night food service, you probably do not need a TEN.

Limits and restrictions

TENs have strict limits:

• Maximum duration: 168 hours (7 days) per event.
• Maximum attendance: 499 people at any one time (including staff).
• A personal licence holder can give up to 50 TENs per year. A non-personal licence holder can give up to 5 per year.
• A single premises can have up to 15 TENs per year, covering no more than 21 days in total.

If your event exceeds 499 people or you need more than the TEN limits allow, you will need to apply for a premises licence instead, which is a more involved (and expensive) process.

Remember the 499 cap includes everyone on site at once, not just shoppers. A craft fair with 60 stalls staffed by two people each has used up over 120 of that allowance before a single visitor walks through the door, so count stallholders, helpers, and your own team when estimating attendance.

How to apply

• 1. Complete the TEN form, available from your local council or on GOV.UK.
• 2. Submit it to your local licensing authority (the council) at least 10 working days before the event. A copy must also go to the police and environmental health.
• 3. Pay the fee, currently £21 per TEN.
• 4. If neither the police nor environmental health object within 3 working days, your TEN is automatically accepted.

For a craft fair or market, the 'premises' on the form is the venue itself: the village hall, field, or community centre where the fair takes place. Name the person giving the TEN as the fair organiser.

Late TENs (5–9 working days' notice) are possible but risky; they can be refused if there is an objection, with no right of appeal. Always aim for a standard TEN with plenty of time to spare.

What can go wrong?

• Objections: the police or environmental health can object if they believe the event would undermine the licensing objectives (prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, protection of children from harm). If they object to a standard TEN, there is a hearing before the licensing committee.
• Exceeding limits: if you have used all your TEN allowance for the year, you cannot get another one.
• Forgetting to apply: running a licensable activity without a TEN or licence is a criminal offence. Penalties include a fine of up to £20,000 and/or up to 6 months' imprisonment.

If you organise regular craft fairs or markets, keep a log of how many TENs you have used for each venue during the calendar year so you do not accidentally exceed the yearly limits.

Practical tips

• Apply as early as possible; do not leave it to the last minute.
• If you plan multiple events per year, consider whether a premises licence would be more practical (and cost-effective) than multiple TENs.
• Keep a copy of your TEN on site during the event; you may be asked to produce it.
• If you are serving alcohol, appoint a named person to supervise the bar area.
• Consider whether any stallholders are also conducting licensable activities (e.g. selling homemade liqueurs); they may need their own TEN or your TEN needs to cover their activities.

A note for stallholders: if you sell alcoholic products such as mead, wine, beer, or liqueurs at craft fairs and markets, ask the organiser early whether their TEN or premises licence covers sales from your stall. Do not assume it does; if it does not, you may need to give your own TEN for the event.