HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire event lighting in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Event lighting hire needs no licence in the UK. Read on for the checks, the right questions and a fair quote.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring event lighting in five steps

  1. Check the venue's rulesRigging points, power, haze machines and fire alarms.
  2. Describe the lookColours, uplighting, festoons, a dance-floor rig.
  3. Ask for PAT and insuranceMost venues want both from the event lighting firm.
  4. Technician or notWhether someone runs the lights through the evening.
  5. Fix set-up and collectionIncluding late-night collection.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to event lighting hire firms in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required by law. The venue's rules on rigging, power and haze decide what the firm can do.

Before any deposit, ask for two recent hosts you can contact and for the event lighting booking terms in writing.

Safe electrics and insurance for the event lighting firm

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury — the event lighting firm's lights, dimmers and cables included — to be kept safe, though HSE says they do not make yearly PAT testing a legal duty. Venues often ask for a recent PAT record on lights, dimmers and cables and for public liability insurance anyway, at a level they set.

Send the venue the event lighting firm's PAT record and insurance certificate a week before. hse.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance for the event lighting

The law does not make public liability cover compulsory for this kind of booking, yet most venues write a minimum into their supplier rules. Venues commonly require the lighting firm's public liability cover, often with a PAT record.

Get the venue's minimum in writing and match it against the event lighting's current certificate.

Trader status and cancellation terms

Paying a business for event lighting makes it 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 event lighting's terms are what count.

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

VAT

Lighting hire, with rigging and any technician, is standard-rated at 20%. Event lighting hire firms whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge VAT and show it as its own line on the quote and invoice.

Ask the lighting firm for its VAT number and check the 20% sits under the kit and the technician hours. gov.uk →

“Have you lit this venue before?”

A good answer: An event lighting firm that knows the rigging points and power, or will visit.

“How many lights for the room?”

A good answer: A count from the event lighting firm based on the room size and look.

“Will you use haze, and will it set off the fire alarm?”

A good answer: A lighting firm that checks with the venue first.

“Is the lighting kit PAT tested?”

A good answer: A PAT record for the lighting kit to send the venue.

“Is a lighting technician included?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with hours priced.

“How are cables run and secured?”

A good answer: Taped or covered, away from walkways.

“When do you set up and collect?”

A good answer: Times agreed with the venue.

Getting the quote right

  • The event lighting fixtures, number and colours
  • Rigging, truss or stands
  • Technician hours, if any
  • Power distribution or a generator
  • Delivery, set-up and collection
  • The lighting firm's VAT number, with VAT listed under kit, crew and delivery
  • Deposit and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends to rig, run and de-rig the lighting, and whether the technicians are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • Haze planned without checking the venue's alarms
  • Cables across walkways
  • No PAT record or insurance when asked
  • Rigging on points the venue has not approved
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£310
HIGH
£1,500

What event lighting costs: £150–£1,500 per event

Event lighting hire is priced per event by the number and type of lights, with a technician, rigging and power adding to it. Event Lighting Hire 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

Event lighting hire firms 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. SurveyThe event lighting firm checks rigging points, power and the room.
  2. RigLights placed or rigged on approved points, cables secured.
  3. ProgrammeColours and scenes set and tested.
  4. EventTechnician runs cues, or lights left on a set scene.
  5. De-rigKit removed at the agreed time.

Uplighter
A light at floor level washing a wall with colour.
Truss
A metal frame for hanging lights.
Moving head
A light that moves and changes beam under control.
Haze
A fine mist that shows beams; can trigger alarms.
Festoon
A string of bulbs.
PAT record
A record of portable equipment inspection.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the hire agreementFixtures and terms agreed with the event lighting firm.
Check the venueMarks from rigging or tape raised quickly.
Note any failureLights that did not work, in writing.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, which is why one about the event lighting firm carries weight. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the event lighting firm is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the event lighting in writingPut the problem — lights not working, a late set-up, missing fixtures — to the event lighting 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 event lighting 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 helplinesComplaints about event lighting hire firms have no regulator to go to. 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 event lighting hire firms to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the event lighting will not returnMoney still owed by the event lighting 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 event lighting: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to event lighting hire firms in any UK nation. The venue's rules, the hire firm's insurance and the written hire terms are what to check.

No law requires it, but most venues ask suppliers for public liability cover. Ask your venue for its figure, then ask for the certificate covering the event lighting.

£150 to £1,500 per event, typically around £310. The event lighting hire price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see event lighting hire firms near you.

It can. Check with the venue before any haze is used.

For a static look, often not; for cues through the night, yes.

The event lighting firm should work it out from the room size.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: PA & Sound System HireHow to hire: Stage HireHow to hire: Backdrop & Drapery HireHow to hire: Event DecoratorHow to hire: Marquee HireHow to hire: Wedding DJHow to hire: Mobile DiscoHow to hire: Furniture Hire for EventsAll 701 hiring guides →

Event lighting hire firms near you

Event lighting hire firms in LondonEvent lighting hire firms in ManchesterEvent lighting hire firms in BirminghamEvent lighting hire firms in GlasgowEvent lighting hire firms in BelfastAll event lighting hire firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — portable appliance testing FAQs
  2. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  5. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  6. nidirect — small claims process
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register