Entertainment Event Permits

A permit may not be required to operate a Temporary Entertainment Event if:

• A planning approval is required for the event; or
• The event is undertaken:
  • by a community organisation; and
  • is for the sole benefit of the community organisation; and
  • is held on land owned or controlled by the community organisation; and
  • no part of the event is undertaken on a local government controlled area or a road.

If you are unsure whether the above applies to you, please contact Council's Regulatory Services team to discuss your specific circumstance.

To apply for a permit for a Temporary Entertainment Event, you will need to complete an Application Form (PDF 1.1MB) and submit to Council with the relevant fee and supporting information listed below.

 A completed application should be submitted to Council a minimum of six (6) weeks prior to the date of the event.

• A site plan as detailed on the application form
• An estimate of the number of people that will be attending the event
• Dates and hours of the event
• What activities will be conducted, e.g. live music
• Traffic and crowd control management plan
• Emergency Procedures Manual e.g. first aid, bush fire, traffic accident, serious injury
• Details of the number of toilets and showers that will be available
• Details of potable water supply
• Details of refuse collection and disposal
• For events held over multiple days - a letter of support from local emergency services (Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Queensland Ambulance Service)

Council will contact you should additional information be required to process your application.

When Council approves your application, you can then commence the event in accordance with the approved conditions.

You must provide a site plan drawn to scale showing the location/s of the temporary entertainment event and the following details as a minimum:  

• Boundaries of the event
• Water supply system for the area or place
• Entry & exit points for both pedestrians & vehicles
• Emergency assembly point/s & any emergency infrastructure (e.g. hydrants)
• Security/lost property/lost children point & first aid post/s
• Advertising devices
• Food, refreshment & alcohol consumption service areas
• Location of toilet facilities & other amenities
• Location of litter bins (including bin type e.g. recycle, general and skip)
• Liquid waste/trade waste disposal points
• Roads, vehicle corridors, footpaths & distance from closest public transport
• Car parking areas including disability parking spaces
• Electrical facilities, including any generators
• Source & direction of amplified sound systems 
• Firework operating location
• Any temporary infrastructure for event (i.e. marques, tents, stages)
• Any other additional facilities provided by the operator

Example site plan:

For events proposed to operate in a council park, you are required to obtain a Parks Permit. 

Refer to Council's 'Using Our Parks' page to obtain a permit to use a park.

Ensure you complete the relevant section in the Temporary Entertainment Event Application Form (PDF 1.1MB) and reference your park booking number.

If you intend to close a road, lane or Council parking bay as part of the proposed event, the following must be provided with your application:

•  full details of the closure including:
  • which road;
  • dates and hours of closure requested;
  • a Traffic Management Plan detailing how traffic is to be managed during the closure;
  • attaching letters of support from affected/adjoining property owners;
• written appoval from Queensland Police Service for the road closure; and
• if the proposed closure is on a state-controlled road, written permission from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads

• erecting temporary fixtures (e.g. stages, speaker structures, shade awnings, or grandstand seating)
• temporary tents that have a plan area of more than 100m2 but less than 500m2.

Some of these types of building work are assessable and will require building approval by a building certifier. 

All building work is assessed against the building assessment provisions (including, but not limited to, the National Construction Code and the Queensland Development Code) which set the minimum requirements for building structure, fire safety, access and egress, health and amenity, and energy efficiency. 

Contact Council's Built Environment team to determine whether you will require a building approval.  Alternatively, you can engage a building certifier licensed with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.

Council may request a copy of a Form 15 and Form 16 as part of the application process for a Temporary Entertainment Event. Form 15 certifies the design of a major component of your business (e.g. temporary stages, marquees or grandstands) and a Form 16 to certifies that the component was installed to the design specification.  Your building certifier will collect these forms if necessary.

Find more information about Forms 15 and 16 on Business Queensland webpage.

 

Most established locations for Temporary Entertainment Events should have access to water and sewerage connections, however in some instances an approval to release trade waste to sewer may be required prior to the event occuring. 

Trade waste is liquid waste produced by a business.  All businesses, including Temporary Entertainment Events, require approval from Council to release trade waste to sewer.

Where the event location is conected to sewer:

• Check with the property owner whether there is an exisiting trade waste approval for the property.
• Depending on the lease agreement, the property owner or leasee is responsible for organising trade waste approval including the installation of any pre-treatment equipment or monitoring equipment that may be required (e.g. separators, interceptors, grease traps, or in-sink or in-drain baskets). 
• Plumbing and drainage work must be conducted by a licensed plumber.

If there is no connection to sewer or no trade waste approval:

• a trade waste approval must be applied for and granted by Council prior to the event operating; or 
• you must arrange for collection of all wastewater produced to be removed by a licensed waste transporter.

Please note: Cooking fats and oils from fryers are not trade waste and must not be released to sewer or any other drain. Fats or oils need to be collected in waste oil drums and collected by a licensed waste transporter seperately.

Contact Council to find out more about trade waste approvals.

Additioanl nformaiton can be found within The Plumbing Code of Australia which forms part of the National Construction Code.  It contains the technical provisions for plumbing and drainage.

For events held over multiple days, a letter of support from local emergency services will be required as part of your application.  Please note that they may require supporting documentation about the event prior to providing the letter of support.

The following emergency services are to be contacted:

• Queensland Police Service;
• Queensland Fire and Emergency Services; and
• Queensland Ambulance Service 

When planning your event, it is important to consider the accessibility to people of all ages and abilities.

For information about event organiser obligations under anti-discrimination legislation, contact the Queensland Human Rights Commission or Australian Human Rights Commission.

 

If you intend to use special effects such as pyrotechnic explosions or fireworks, you need approval from Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.

You must also notify Queensland Police Service, and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

Upcoming approved firework activities are listed online here.

For events where alcohol is offered either by sale or serving, a liquor licence must be applied for and a copy of the licence provided to Council prior to the event. 

Please contact the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation in order to obtain a liquor licence for your event. 

If food and refreshments are served or sold at your event, it may be necessary for food vendors to obtain a Food Business Licence.  Generally food businesses that involve the preparation of food will require a licence.  Some exemptions apply to not-for-profit organisations, the sale of packaged foods and the sale of whole fruit and vegetables.

Food vendors can apply for a licence by completing the Temporary Food Business Licence form (PDF 1MB) and submitting it to Council at least 30 days prior to the event.

If you are unsure about whether a food licence will be required, please contact Council’s Environmental Health Section on 1300 697 372 or mail@sdrc.qld.gov.au. 

Where inflatable entertainment, amusement rides, lanterns, animal activity (such as petting zoos and animal rides) will be provided at your event, Council may require a copy of the Workplace Health and Safety certification for amusement rides. 

More information about what is required of amusement devices can be found online here:

• Amusement device registration
• Amusement device regulation

Risk assessments are a priceless tool in planning an event. Your risk assessment and management plan should include:

• Emergency management plan, including:
  • Severe weather event e.g. storm with strong winds blowing marquees / amusement devices around.
  • Security / crowd management, drug and/or alcohol related behaviour
  • Actions and responsible person/s in the event of a fire
  • Emergency evacuation procedure, including assembly points, exit points
• Complaint management plan, including: 
  • Contact persons, their responsibilities and contact numbers.

The Queensland Government Event Delivery webpage has a range of event templates avalaible for use, including a risk management plan

The Australian Government has developed a strategy for protecting crowded places from terrorism, and provides in depth information about to keep crowed places safe.

Read more about Crowded places.

The Australian Government has made a Crowded Places Security Audit Template avaliable online for use.

A noise management plan may be required if your event includes live bands or amplified music. A qualified acoustic engineer should be engaged to assit with your noise management plan.  The plan should include:

• a site plan showing neighbouring land use, location and orientation of stages and public address or audio systems;
• details of all possible noise sources and noise barriers;
• noise reduction measures to be used;
• details of the acoustic monitoring to be conducted during the event;
• a plan to notify surrounding premises of the event and potential noise; and
• a plan to manage complaints received before, during and after the event.

Council officers will monitor your event to check compliance with your approval conditions and may also conduct noise monitoring. Noise from the event must comply with your approval conditions and/or noise limits permitted for open air events under section 440X of the Environmental Protection Act 1994.