Licensable Activities
For Information
Under the Alcohol Licensing (Coronavirus) Regulations, any licensed premises which permits on-sales of alcohol (for consumption on the premises) has an automatic permission to provide off-sales of alcohol (for consumption off the premises). This has been extended to 30 September 2025.
What are Licensable Activities?
- Sale by retail of alcohol or supply of alcohol by or on behalf of a club to, or to the order of, a member of the club.
- The provision of regulated entertainment
- Late night refreshment which is the provision of hot food or drinks between the hours of 11pm & 5am.
What is regulated entertainment?
Subject to qualifying conditions Regulated Entertainment is defined as:
- A performance of a play
- An exhibition of a film
- An indoor sporting event
- A boxing or wrestling entertainment (indoors or outdoors)
- A performance of live music
- Any playing of recorded music (except incidental
- A performance of a dance
- Entertainment of similar description to that falling within the performance of live music, any playing of recorded music and the performance of dance
For more information about regulated entertainment and for all the exemptions see our fact sheet.
Live and Recorded Music Exemptions for Premises with a Premises Licence or Club Premises Certificate
The Live Music Act 2012 and Legislative Reform (Entertainment Licensing) Order 2014 allows live and recorded music on licenced premises without the need for it to included on the premises licence or club premises certificate. This right also overrides any relevant restrictions and conditions previously attached to premises licences and club premises certificates relating to live and recorded music:
- Premises that have a premises licence, or club premises certificate, for on sales of alcohol, and are open for on-sales, are permitted live and recorded music between 8 am and 11pm, without any restrictions, in areas inside and outside covered by the premises licence or club premises certificate as shown on boundaries on the premises or certificate plans.
- If the music is amplified live music or recorded music the audience must be no more than 500 people.
- Existing live and recorded music related conditions on the premises licence that were imposed before the Live Music Act and Legislative Reform Order came into force do not apply.
- Beer gardens, not shown on the premises plans, are permitted live unamplified and amplified music between 8am and 11pm under exemptions for work places.
The above exemptions can be removed, and conditions re-imposed through the review process. Noise legislation will continue to apply where live and recorded music under the exemption causes a noise nuisance.
Regulation summary
The Licensing Act 2003 regulates premises licences.