Legal: Maximising trade over Christmas and New Year

Ewen Macgregor, licensing partner at TLT, comments on how businesses can maximise trading opportunities presented by the festive period.

With the festive season around the corner, businesses will be looking to maximise their trading hours over the busy Christmas and New Year period.

Many licences will already allow for seasonal extensions of hours over Christmas and New Year (for example, on New Year’s Eve, pubs and bars may be permitted to trade from opening on New Year’s Eve through to the end of permitted hours on New Year’s Day!)

Licensed premises looking to stay open for a longer period of time throughout the festive period should start by checking when their licence permits them to trade.

Licence holders who wish to hold a licensable activity that is not included in the terms of their licence will need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) from their local council. TENs should be applied for at least 10 working days before the event. Below, we have set out deadlines for submitting a TEN throughout the Christmas season:

  • Christmas Eve – 24 December 2022: last date for giving a TEN 9 December 2022 / Last date for giving a Late TEN 16 December 2022
  • Christmas Day – 25 December 2022: last date for giving a TEN 9 December 2022 / Last date for giving a Late TEN 16 December 2022
  • Boxing Day – 26 December 2022: last date for giving a TEN 9 December 2022 / Last date for giving a Late TEN 16 December 2022
  • New Year’s Eve – 31 December 2022: last date for giving a TEN 14 December 2022 / Last date for giving a Late TEN 21 December 2022.

Please remember there is an annual allowance of 20 TENs per venue (covering up to 26 days).

For more information on TENs visit Licensing - TLT LLP, or contact [email protected]


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