HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a children's entertainer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Children's entertainers need no licence in the UK. Here is how to check a record certificate, insurance and what the booking must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a children's entertainer in five steps

  1. Ask for a record certificateA basic DBS, Level 1 disclosure or basic AccessNI certificate, recent, in the entertainer's name.
  2. Check the hall's insurance ruleMost halls want the children's entertainer's public liability certificate.
  3. Give ages, numbers and needsHow many children, how old, any additional needs or allergies for prizes and sweets.
  4. Agree the running orderGames, show, food break, cake, party bags — and timings.
  5. Keep a parent in the roomThe entertainer runs the party; supervision of the children stays with the adults.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to children's entertainers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required by law. Anyone can call themselves a children's entertainer, so the checks below are the ones that tell you who is coming.

Before any deposit, ask for two recent hosts you can contact and for the children's entertainer booking terms in writing.

Public liability insurance for the children's entertainer

The law does not make public liability cover compulsory for this kind of booking, yet most venues write a minimum into their supplier rules. Community halls and soft-play centres often refuse a children's entertainer without it.

Get the venue's minimum in writing and match it against the children's entertainer's current certificate.

Criminal record check for the children's entertainer

Anyone can ask for a basic check on themselves: a basic DBS check for work in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or a basic AccessNI check in Northern Ireland. Each shows unspent convictions only. No licence makes a self-booked children's entertainer hold one, so asking for it is your decision.

Ask the children's entertainer to show the certificate or online disclosure and its date. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Paying a children's entertainer makes the arrangement a contract with a trader, and under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill. The usual 14-day right to cancel a distance or doorstep contract rarely helps here, because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 leaves out leisure and catering services tied to a particular date; the children's entertainer's terms are what count.

Check, in writing, how much of the children's entertainer's deposit is refundable and by what date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A children's party show is a standard-rated service; a registered entertainer adds 20%. Among children's entertainers, any with taxable turnover above £90,000 must be registered, add the VAT and show it apart from the net figure.

Ask whether the entertainer is VAT-registered, and if so get the number and see the 20% under the party fee. gov.uk →

“Do you hold a recent criminal record certificate I can see?”

A good answer: A children's entertainer who shows a basic DBS, Level 1 or AccessNI certificate in their name, with the date.

“Are you insured, and can the hall have the certificate?”

A good answer: Public liability cover named, sent ahead to the hall.

“What happens in a two-hour party, minute by minute?”

A good answer: A running order from the children's entertainer: games, a show, a break for food, cake and a finale.

“Is the show right for this age group?”

A good answer: An entertainer who asks the ages and adjusts — toddlers and ten-year-olds need different parties.

“Do you use sweets or balloons as prizes?”

A good answer: An answer that allows for allergies and latex, with alternatives if needed.

“How do you handle a child who is upset or misbehaving?”

A good answer: Calm, practical, and always involving the parents rather than taking the child aside alone.

“What do you need from the hall — space, power, a table?”

A good answer: A short list: a clear area, a socket for music, a table for props.

“What if you are ill on the day?”

A good answer: A named stand-in children's entertainer or a refund, in writing.

Getting the quote right

  • The date, hall, arrival time and party length for the children's entertainer
  • What is included: show, games, music, prizes, balloon modelling or face painting
  • The number and age of children it is priced for
  • Travel and parking as separate lines
  • Deposit, balance and cancellation terms
  • Their VAT number, if registered, with the VAT shown under the party fee
  • Who actually attends: the entertainer you booked, or a stand-in from the agency — employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No criminal record certificate and no wish to discuss one
  • No insurance when the hall requires it
  • Wants to take children out of sight of their parents
  • No written booking or vague timings
LOW
£100
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£300

What a children's entertainer costs: £100–£300 per party

Children's entertainers quote per party for a set length, with extras such as balloon modelling or face painting priced on top. Children's Entertainer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Children's entertainers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Arrive and set upThe children's entertainer arrives before the guests, sets up props and music, and checks the running order with you.
  2. Warm-up gamesSimple games as children arrive, with parents present.
  3. The showMagic, puppets or characters pitched at the ages you gave.
  4. Food break and cakeThe entertainer pauses for food and leads the birthday song on cue.
  5. Finale and goodbyeA final game or balloon gifts, then the children are handed back to their parents, never sent off alone.

Basic DBS check
A certificate of unspent convictions for work in England and Wales.
Level 1 disclosure
Scotland's equivalent, from Disclosure Scotland, shared online.
Basic AccessNI check
Northern Ireland's basic criminal record check.
Public liability insurance
Cover for injury to guests or damage to the hall caused by the act.
Running order
The minute-by-minute plan for the party.
Party bags
Small gifts to take home; usually not in the entertainer's fee.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingIt records what the children's entertainer agreed to provide and for how long.
Note the timingsStarted and finished as booked? Write it down the same day.
Tell the hallAny damage or issue at the hall raised with the entertainer quickly.
Leave the reviewRate the children's entertainer once the event is over — reviews on Locufy are limited to booked jobs. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the children's entertainer is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the children's entertainer in writingPut the problem — a late arrival, a show cut short, an act wrong for the children's ages — to the children's entertainer in an email, with dates and what you are asking for. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats every service contract as promising reasonable care and skill (section 49), and section 56 lets you ask for an appropriate reduction where a repeat is impossible.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the children's entertainer below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesNo official body supervises children's entertainers. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about children's entertainers to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the children's entertainer will not returnMoney still owed by the children's entertainer can be claimed through the small-claims routes: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a children's entertainer: questions people ask

Not as a performer. Licences in this area cover venues and events, so ask the venue rather than the children's entertainer.

No licence makes a self-booked children's entertainer hold one, but you can ask. A basic DBS check covers work in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland covers Scotland, and a basic AccessNI check covers Northern Ireland; each shows unspent convictions.

£100 to £300 per party, typically around £150. The children's entertainer price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see children's entertainers near you.

One to two hours suits most ages; under-fives tire sooner. Ask the entertainer what works for your group.

Yes. The entertainer runs the fun; parents keep responsibility for the children.

Many do as add-ons, priced separately on the quote.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: MagicianHow to hire: Face PainterHow to hire: Balloon ModellerHow to hire: Bouncy Castle HireHow to hire: Soft Play HireHow to hire: Mascot HireHow to hire: Party PlannerHow to hire: Mobile DiscoAll 701 hiring guides →

Children's entertainers near you

Children's entertainers in LondonChildren's entertainers in ManchesterChildren's entertainers in BirminghamChildren's entertainers in GlasgowChildren's entertainers in BelfastAll children's entertainers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  2. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  3. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  4. mygov.scot — apply for a Level 1 disclosure
  5. nidirect — types of AccessNI checks
  6. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  10. nidirect — small claims process
  11. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  12. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register