Events in parks

A guide to holding events in parks in the borough

Submit an online event application or send an enquiry by email to [email protected] to begin the consultation process to use one of the borough’s parks for your event.

Completing your application

Please tell us which park you want to use for your event, and give details of how you came to this decision in your application. You should include as much information as possible so that we can help with your application and advise on issues such as health and safety and licensing

The event organiser will be the primary point of contact during the application process, and at the event on the day, unless otherwise stated during the application process.

Please include the following details in your initial email enquiry or online application:

Event details:

• name and contact details of event organiser
• event name
• exact location within stated park
• date and event timings
• number of people expected to attend
• whether the event is free of charge or ticketed

Event description:

• purpose of the event and brief description
• event schedule of activity (whole event, including set-up and breakdown details)
• previous similar events held in the borough – provide details
• proposed space the event would occupy in the park, including details of any barriers
• any other information you feel is relevant to your application

Event activity:

• details of temporary structures (such as staging, stalls, bouncy castles, gazebos etc)
• details of any live music or entertainment
• whether you plan to sell alcohol
• stewarding and security arrangements
• catering details and details of trading of any kind
• promotional activity (such as promotional banners, leaflet distribution (during or before the event))
• vehicle access (arranged only by prior review and approval from the Parks Team)
• waste management
• toilet provision (please see below for guide)

Temporary toilet provision

When more than 50 participants are expected to attend an event the organisers may be required to provide temporary toilets. Temporary toilets should be removed promptly following the event.

The number of toilets required for the event are dependent on the duration of the event and number of expected participants. Please see the table below for guidance.

Event organisers should also consider suitable and sufficient sanitary facilities for disabled visitors at a ratio of 1 to 500 visitors.

Required supporting documents

The following documents are required to support your application to hold a small event in one of the borough's parks, and should be submitted well in advance of your event to give relevant departments time to review them and offer further guidance.

Relevant departments (who may contact you directly) include, but are not limited to, Environmental Health, Noise and Nuisance, and Licensing, as well as the Events team.

• Event management plan
• Site plan (including all temporary structures, activity, toilets, access and egress etc)
• Crowd management plan (if applicable)
• Risk assessment / method statement
• Public liability insurance (minimum indemnity £5,000,000)

Please note, separate insurance and risk assessments will be required for small funfair rides and bouncy castles, if approved as part of the event in advance.

Licence requirements

The following activities are licensable:

• Retail sale of alcohol
• Provision of regulated entertainment (including amplified music)
• Late night refreshment

A Temporary Event Notice (TEN) may be required if any of the above is due to take place at your event. TENs can be used to authorise relatively small-scale ad-hoc events held in a park or premises involving less than 499 people at one time.

A TEN requires 10 working days to process and the application costs £21.

More information on TENs and how to apply can be found on the licensing pages.

A granted TEN is not permission for your event to go ahead; you will still need to complete the event approval process outlined on this page.

A Premises Licence is required for one or more licensable activities involving more than 499 people at one time (Licensing Act 2003). For more information, please contact the Licensing Team on: [email protected], or call: 020 7341 5152.

The recommended lead-in time for a premises license application is three months.

More information on Premises Licenses and how to apply can be found on the licensing pages.

Birthday parties or celebrations

Where an individual or company is being paid to run a celebration or event (such as a children’s birthday party), the person or company will need to apply to hold the event and this is likely to incur a fee.

Sports facilities

Sports facilities that are being used for an event must be booked and paid for in addition to the event booking fee.

Administration fees

For commercial events where multiple site visits are required there will be an administrative charge of £100 to cover officer time.

Picnics and gatherings

Infrastructure (such as gazebos) and professional catering always require permission.

Informal picnics with no infrastructure do not require permission however we would request that an application is made for gatherings of more than 50 people.

To avoid causing disruption to other park users, please follow the guidelines below:

• if you are holding an informal staff picnic you will not be permitted to display any corporate banners or distribute promotional material
• barbeques are not permitted in any of the Royal Borough’s parks
• please use plastic cups and bottles where possible and be careful if using any glass bottles (broken glass is a hazard very difficult to spot and remove from grass areas)
• ball games are only permitted in certain areas of some of the parks - if you want to play ball games please use an appropriate space that does not affect other visitors’ enjoyment of the park
• please be considerate to other park users by not playing loud or offensive music in the park

Park regulations

All event organisers will be expected to observe the following regulations when holding an event in a park within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea:

Community-led funfairs of a limited size (such as a Play Day) will only be allowed at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance. Vehicle access to the park is limited and it is the responsibility of the event manager to ensure that funfair equipment is suitable for the space. Proposed funfair equipment specifications must be approved by the Council in advance.

• no vehicle access is permitted unless agreed in writing prior to the event start date (any vehicle access that is agreed will need to be managed by the event organiser and a vehicle management plan may be required in advance.)
• where vehicle access is permitted, drivers must: observe the speed limit of 5mph; keep amber beacon or hazard lights on, and stick to existing paths (unless special permission is granted to deviate from this) while in the park
• where vehicle access is permitted a banksman must also be present to guide vehicles through the park
• parking is not provided as part of the event booking unless agreed in writing in advance
• balloons must be weighted and not be released under any circumstances (due to the impact on the environment and wildlife)
• lantern releases are prohibited
• water and power will not be provided for any outdoor event
• generators which are brought into the park must be silent and diesel only (not petrol)
• open flames are not permitted in the parks (this includes candles, lanterns and campfires)
• no structures, items or cars to be placed directly next to trees or impacting tree roots
• nothing to be attached to trees without prior agreement from the Parks Team
• applications for bouncy castles will only be considered for community events and not private parties
• Avondale Park has a ground management plan in place: no digging or ground disturbance is allowed for any event