Plan your event

• festivals
• cultural celebrations
• fetes
• street parties
• markets
• fun runs
• cycling events
• concerts
• parades
• religious festivals
• charity events
• raffles or fundraisers.

• time and date of event
• budget
• venue selection
• Council approval requirements
• target audience
• activities and attractions, such as bands, performers, music, amusements, rides and stalls
• food and drink availability through food vendors or community-run food stalls
• whether alcohol will be served and what liquor permits are needed
• access to water and power
• number of people attending and whether the venue size and available parking is sufficient
• infrastructure requirements such as marquees, power, toilets, public address (PA) system and waste disposal
• venue accessibility including accessible car parks, clear continuous pathways and accessible toilets
• safety and risk
• staffing and volunteers
• equipment hire.

When choosing a suitable site or venue, consider the following.

• Do you plan to use Council land for your event?
• Is the event site or venue available and do you have permission to use it?
• Does the venue or site you have chosen suit all your requirements?
• What are the arrangements for getting in and out of the site or venue?

Council has an array of community spaces and places to hold your event.

Our parks are available for all people to enjoy and can't be booked.

However, you might be able to get approval to share the space. If you're planning a large event, call us on 03 9217 2170 and ask to speak with our Event Permit Officer to see if we can grant approval.

This approval doesn't give exclusive use of the site. If the site is a public open space, you will need to allow other members of the public to also have access.

See our list of parks and playgrounds

For larger events you must have a venue or site plan so attendees, staff, volunteers, contractors and emergency services know where everything is. This will help you when applying for permits and with developing your safety management plan.

You plan may need to include:

• entertainment areas, including stage location and amusement rides
• food vendors and stalls
• drinking water sites
• permanent and temporary public toilets, including accessible toilets
• information tent
• first aid posts
• parking, including accessible parking bays and pick-up and drop-off areas
• entrances, exits and continuous accessible paths of travel
• emergency access and exit routes and evacuation assembly points
• restricted areas
• rubbish and recycling stations bins.

A large venue or site should include signage to indicate the location of:

• information tent 
• first aid posts
• toilets
• drinking water sites
• parking
• emergency exits and evacuation points.

You might also consider signage to indicate different activity areas and programming on your stage.

We may require you to complete an application and pay a bond for large events, to ensure the site or venue is returned to its original condition.

Consider if you need to put up temporary structures such as stages, large marquees or stalls at your event.

If you do, you may need to an occupancy permit for a Places of Public Entertainment (POPE). A POPE may be required if these structures exceed a particular size or if you are charging an entry fee to your event. As outlined in the Building Act 1993, a POPE may apply even if you plan to use an existing building as your event site.

Once you have completed our online application form, you'll be advised if you need a POPE or any other regulatory permits.

If your event does need a POPE, you will need to complete and submit a POPE application form and pay the nominated fee.

Find out more about Place of Public Entertainment Occupancy Permits

Read the Victorian Building Authority's information about POPEs

If want to do any filming, including still photography, within public gardens, reserves, roadways or footpaths in the City of Whittlesea, you need to obtain a filming permit. Student and non-profit filming also requires a permit, but no fee applies.

Apply for a filming permit

If you are planning to sell food and drink, or organise food vendors at your event, they need to register under the statewide registration and notification system Foodtrader.

This is an online system for businesses and community groups to register with their principal council (the council where the business name is registered) as well as providing notification of where the event is being held. 

All temporary food premises trading at your event, including stalls and mobile food vans, must have current Food Act registration from their principal council.

For each event they wish to trade at, the food vendor must submit a Statement of Trade through Foodtrader. This must be lodged at least five working days prior to trading.

If you are planning to sell alcohol at your event, you will need to contact the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) to obtain a Temporary Limited Liquor Licence and pay a licence fee.

You will need to follow their conditions, which may include notifying police, fencing in an area and ensuring staff and volunteers have completed training in responsible serving of alcohol.

For more information contact VCGLR on 1300 182 457 or visit their website.

If you are playing live or recorded music you must be licensed by the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA).

Our local laws state that amplified sound and music must not interfere with the quiet enjoyment of any other person using Council land or a public place. As organisers you need to monitor the level of noise at your event.

• Find out about APRA licensing on their website or call them on 03 9426 5200.
• Learn more about the Environment Protection Authority's noise guidelines.

If your event includes any commercial activity on the footpath you need to abide by our Footpath Trading Policy. This includes holding a Footpath Trading Permit. This permit carries a fee and requires five working days for an application to be processed.

Footpath trading is the use of footpaths for commercial activities such as outdoor dining and the display of goods. Footpaths less than 2.5 m wide may not be used for footpath trading.

Find out more about Footpath Trading Permits

If you are planning any kind of amusements or rides, you need to ensure the equipment providers have:

• public liability insurance to the value of $20 million
• maintained their rides according to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017.

You must provide records from your contractors to prove this. If you are planning on bringing any type of amusement ride on to Council-owned or managed land, you must first get approval via our events permit process. You may be required to pay a bond.

See WorkSafe's amusement ride hire checklist

If you are having any fundraising activities at your event you will need to apply for a fundraising permit at least eight weeks prior.

Find out more about fundraising permits

Unless you are exempt, you will also need to register with Consumer Affairs Victoria before you can begin fundraising. There is no fee to register as a fundraiser. For more information, phone Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 558 181 or visit their website for information about fundraising.

Public liability insurance is necessary for public events. The amount of cover you'll need depends on your activities. A minimum of $20 million in coverage is needed for all events presented in the City of Whittlesea. You will need to submit a copy of your public liability insurance with your application for event approval.

Applications that fail to provide evidence of their current cover will not be assessed. You may need to provide us with proof that your public liability insurance is current.

For more information visit Our Community's insurance information section and enter ‘events’ in the search bar.

You should consider whether your event will be accessible to everyone, particular people who:

• have limited mobility
• have a hearing or visual impairment
• may need some other assistance at your event.

Please refer to the Accessible Events guide for further information on how to make your event accessible and inclusive.

It's a legal requirement to notify PTV of an event that is likely to impact on public transport.

Once you've submitted an event notification form to PTV, they will establish the overall impact to public transport, and determine the impact on public transport operators.

PTV require notifications be submitted 120 days before your event and can impose fines on events that impact public transport and have failed to submit the necessary notification.

If your event requires a temporary road or footpath closure, or you want to erect directional signage on roads or footpaths, you must get consent from the relevant road authority.

If your event involves a local road closure or changes to local traffic conditions, you will need to have a Traffic Management Plan. This must be prepared by a traffic management company or authorised person and submitted as part of your Event Permit application 12 weeks before your event date.

The plan needs to outline:

• who you or your organisation represents
• why and when you wish to hold the event
• details of the location for the event and road closure required
• what routes and streets will be involved
• a contact name, address and telephone number
• how the road closure will be managed (a traffic management company or qualified individuals)
• where signage will go to inform the public.

We'll then send you correspondence outlining any issues you must address and the information you must provide before the event can take place.

You'll need to hold a public liability insurance policy for at least $20 million to insure all parties against any actions, costs, claims or damages that may arise from the event.

You may also need to write to directly affected residents and businesses, notify emergency services providers and take out a public notice in the local paper.

If you're running a competitive cycling event please contact Victoria Police's Road Safety Awareness and Information Unit on 03 9247 5754 for specific advice and guidance.

Learn more about cycling event permits at AusCycling

If your chosen site doesn't have a power supply, you may need to bring in generators or use battery-powered appliances.

You'll need to consider how much power you will require for your event. For example, a large public address (PA) system and lights may require three-phase power. Not having enough power to run your event, or having generators in the wrong place, can cause major issues including power outages and damage to equipment.

You should know what power each electrical appliance will draw when planning for your power needs.

Generator companies will often assist you in working out your requirements. You may need a qualified electrician on site to assist with the use of the generator and all your electrical needs.

View Energy Safe Victoria's guidelines

You should ensure there are enough toilets on site.

Outdoor events require a ratio of one toilet to every 200 people, plus one toilet with wheelchair access and baby change facilities.

If there are not enough toilets on site you will need to hire portable toilets. There are a range of portable toilets available. Search online for local suppliers.

You may need to provide first aid at your event. You should contact a first aid provider and request they attend your event. You may need to pay a fee.

You should determine how many first aiders and first aid locations you need, depending on how many people are coming to your event and what activities are occurring. Your first aid provider can advise you.

You should consider whether your event will be accessible to the whole community, particularly people who:

• have limited mobility
• have a hearing or visual impairment
• may need some other assistance at your event.

Please refer to this Meetings and Events Australia guide for further information on how to make your event accessible and inclusive.

• products with excessive packaging such as individually wrapped condiments and pre-packaged sugar
• polystyrene containers and cups
• balloons, plastic bags and plastic straws
• plastic water bottles.

• use re-useable plates, cups and cutlery (rather than disposable)
• supply food and drinks in minimal packaging that is also recyclable
• use paper lanterns, bubbles, flags or bunting instead of plastic balloons
• use paper straws instead of plastic straws
• when selecting food vendors for your event, consider what packaging and serving items will be used and how it's disposed
• give preference to vendors who use packages made of vegetable products, such as cornstarch plates and cutlery, that are compostable and break down easily when disposed of
• encourage visitors to BYO drink bottle, coffee cup and bag
• place rubbish and recycling bins side by side and use signage on bins to assist patrons to sort waste properly.

Taking these actions will help to reduce waste sent to landfill and contamination in the recycling bins. It could also save you money.

When deciding which food vendors you will have at your event, consider asking them a few questions about the sustainability of their packaging and serving items.

Give preference to vendors who use packaging made of vegetable products, such as cornstarch plates and cutlery. These are compostable and are broken down easily when disposed of.

• alcohol
• electrical safety
• temporary structures
• lost children
• crowd demographics
• weather conditions
• potential crowd crush
• vehicle access and movement
• gas safety.

Victoria Police has a range of resources for event organisers, including Guidelines for Public Events.

Go to the Victoria Police events page

You have a duty of care to the people who attend your event, your staff and volunteers, and any other participants, such as performers or contractors. Liability may arise if this duty is breached and there is injury or damage to property.

As an event organiser, you should put together an event management plan detailing the processes and procedures and the trained support in place to act in case of an emergency. The plan should include:

• contacts for the event
• details of all permits, permission and compliance notices as required
• an evacuation plan for the site or venue detailing:
• • evacuation points
  • assembly points
  • emergency services locations
  • fire extinguishers locations.
• what you will do in case of:
• • lost/found people
  • medical emergency
  • fire at the event
  • lost property
  • bomb or other threat
  • extreme weather
  • electrical safety
  • complaints.

You should nominate wardens and safety officers for your event. Safety officers are responsible for the safe operations of fire safety equipment, evacuation processes, safety barriers and exits.

You should also consider whether you require security guards or crowd control during the event or if you will be leaving equipment on-site overnight.

Find out more about occupational health and safety at major events

An example of an extreme weather event could be a heatwave. In this case you might make safety modifications that include:

November to April is declared a Fire Danger Period by the Country Fire Authority (CFA). During this time there are restrictions on what activities can occur in the CFA-controlled areas.

On days of Total Fire Ban you may need to cancel or modify activities that involve naked flames such as barbeques. Alternatively, you could apply to Fire Rescue Victoria or the Country Fire Authority for a permit for exemption (Section 14 or 40 permit).

On days declared as Code Red by the Fire Authorities, events in bushfire-prone areas should be cancelled or postponed.

Apply for a Fire Danger Period Permit