Organising an event on council land

An outdoor event is an organised public gathering that usually takes place in an open space.

If you would like to organise an event on council land, you need to apply through the Outdoor Events Office to get permission.

Public land includes parks, greenspaces, community spaces, and seafront locations and can all be considered as possible event sites.

Types of events

Small event (attendance of up to 500 people)

If your event is a small event, then there's no need to contact us before you submit your application.

We need at least two months’ notice for this type of event.

Medium event (attendance of 500 up to 3,000 people)

Send an email to eventsinfo@brighton-hove.gov.uk with a proposal for your event including details of:

• what the event is
• how big the event is 
• the location of the event 
• proposed dates for the event

We need at least three months’ notice for this type of event.

Large event (attendance of 3000+ people)

Send an email to eventsinfo@brighton-hove.gov.uk with a proposal for your event including details of:

• what the event is
• how big the event is
• the location of the event
• proposed dates for the event

You'll also need to prepare various documents for this type of event, such as an Event Management Plan.

We need at least eight months’ notice for an event of this size.

Your event will fit into one of four categories, you will be able to identify the councils charge for organising an event on public land in Brighton and Hove in the application form.

Safety Advisory Group (SAG) in Brighton & Hove

The Safety Advisory Group (SAG) in Brighton & Hove overlooks all outdoor events throughout the city. Most organisations that sit on the SAG will be involved in the planning of all large events, but you'll not be asked to represent at SAG unless there are specific concerns around your event or the planning.

In Brighton and Hove we host ‘Operational Planning’ meetings, which are then reported back to SAG by the events team. The Operational Planning meetings are usually chaired by the council’s events team.

Application Process

To submit an application send an email to eventsinfo@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

During the application process, you'll need to submit these documents: 

• a copy of your public liability insurance certificate
• Risk Assessment
• Event Management Plan (for medium and large events)
• site plan
• sustainability form
• Environment Impact Assessment
• Equalities Impact Assessment

If you don't have them yet, you can submit them after the application process has started.

Advertising your event in Brighton & Hove

If you want to advertise your event, you can hire advertising space on our double crown poster sites.