HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a harpist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Harpists need no licence in the UK. Here is how to plan access, what to ask and what the quote must say.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a harpist in five steps

  1. Ask pedal harp or lever harpA concert pedal harp is bigger, louder and needs a van and help to move; a lever harp is lighter. It changes the fee and the access plan.
  2. Describe the route inParking, steps, lifts and the walk to where the harpist plays. Stairs and long carries take time.
  3. Plan shelter outdoorsHarps go out of tune in sun, wind and damp. Agree a shaded, covered spot or an indoor fallback.
  4. Choose the pieces earlyEntrance, signing and exit music agreed weeks ahead; ask what a new arrangement costs.
  5. Get it in writingTimes, pieces, travel, parking and what happens if the harpist is ill.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to harpists in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required by law. Conservatoire training is common among harpists but nothing in law requires it; recordings and recent hosts are your evidence.

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

Music licence and event licensing where the harpist plays

Live or recorded music played in public needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, which replaced the separate PRS and PPL licences; playing without one infringes copyright and can lead to a claim for damages. At a hotel, pub or licensed function room the venue normally holds it, so the harpist does not need their own. In England and Wales, music or dancing at a place with no premises licence is a licensable activity and needs a Temporary Event Notice: under 500 people, given to the council at least 10 clear working days before. In Northern Ireland, live entertainment indoors, and open-air music on private land, needs a district council entertainment licence whoever performs; staging indoor entertainment without one risks a fine of up to £20,000. In Scotland, ask the venue or council what the event needs before the harpist is booked.

Ask the venue whether it holds TheMusicLicence before anyone charges you for one for the harpist. Ask the venue whether it is licensed for live entertainment, or who will give the notice or hold the licence for the harpist's performance. gov.uk →

Safe electrics and insurance for the harpist

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury — the harpist's any amplifier or microphone 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 any amplifier or microphone and for public liability insurance anyway, at a level they set.

Get the venue's requirements first, then copies of the harpist's PAT record and cover. hse.gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Paying a harpist 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 harpist's terms are what count.

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

VAT

Live harp music is standard-rated at 20%, added by a harpist who is registered. Harpists over the £90,000 registration threshold have to charge VAT and list it separately from the price.

Ask the harpist whether they are VAT-registered, and if so for the number and for the 20% under the playing fee. gov.uk →

“Will you bring a pedal harp or a lever harp?”

A good answer: A harpist who explains the difference in sound and size, and recommends one for your room.

“What do you need from the venue — parking, a chair, a power socket?”

A good answer: A short list: close parking, a level spot, an armless chair, perhaps a socket for amplification outdoors.

“How do you cope with an outdoor ceremony?”

A good answer: A harpist who asks for shade and cover, and plays indoors if the weather turns rather than risk the instrument.

“Can you play our chosen song, and is there a charge?”

A good answer: Yes or no for each request, with an arrangement charge stated if the harpist must write one.

“How long will you play, and where do you set up between parts of the day?”

A good answer: Playing times for the ceremony and drinks, and how long the harpist needs to move the harp between rooms.

“Do you have a recording of a live wedding set?”

A good answer: A real recording, so you hear the harp in a room, not only a studio album.

“What happens if you are ill on the day?”

A good answer: A named harpist they work with, or the deposit refunded, written into the booking.

Getting the quote right

  • The date, venue and exact playing times for each part of the day
  • Which harp — pedal or lever — and any amplification for a large or outdoor space
  • Travel, parking and any congestion or clean-air zone charge, listed separately
  • New arrangements for requested pieces, priced per piece
  • The harpist's VAT number, if registered, and VAT under the playing fee
  • Deposit, balance date and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends: the harpist you heard, or a deputy — and whether a deputy is employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No recordings of the harpist playing live
  • No interest in your access, stairs or weather plan
  • Vague about which harp they will bring
  • No written booking terms, or no word on illness
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£350
HIGH
£500

What a harpist costs: £250–£500 per booking

Harpists quote per booking by playing time, with travel and parking added. A pedal harp, a long carry or a new arrangement can each add to the quote. Harpist 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

Harpists 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. Arrival and the carryThe harpist arrives early enough to move the harp from the van to the playing spot without rushing.
  2. Acclimatise and tuneThe harp settles to the room's temperature and is tuned; this takes longer outdoors or after a cold journey.
  3. Ceremony musicEntrance, signing and exit pieces on the cues agreed with the registrar or officiant.
  4. Drinks receptionBackground music while guests mingle, moved to a second spot only if planned and timed.
  5. Pack downThe harp covered and carried out safely, the balance settled as agreed.

Pedal harp
The full-size concert harp with pedals to change key; heavy and needs a van.
Lever harp
A smaller harp, sometimes called a Celtic harp, changed by levers; lighter and quieter.
Arrangement
A version of a song written out for harp; new ones may be charged.
Signing music
The music played while the register or schedule is signed.
Amplification
A microphone and speaker so the harp carries outdoors or in a big room.
Approved premises
A venue approved by the council for civil ceremonies in England and Wales; the ceremony there must not be religious.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingIt records the pieces, playing times and fee the harpist agreed.
Check the playing timeDid the harpist play for the agreed time in each part of the day? Note any gap.
Thank and settlePay any balance as agreed, and note travel or parking costs against the quote.
Leave the reviewRate the harpist 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 harpist is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the harpist in writingPut the problem — a late arrival, playing time cut short, the wrong pieces at the ceremony — to the harpist 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 harpist 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 harpists. 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 harpists to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the harpist will not returnMoney still owed by the harpist 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 harpist: questions people ask

No licence or register exists for harpists anywhere in the UK. The music licence (TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS) and any entertainment licence belong to the venue or the event, not the harpist.

Neither is a legal duty for the harpist: HSE says the law requires safe equipment, not an annual PAT test, and no law sets insurance. Most venues ask for both, so check what yours wants from the harpist.

£250 to £500 per booking, typically around £350. The harpist price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see harpists near you.

Yes, but in England and Wales a civil ceremony must not include anything religious, so hymns are out. Tell the harpist which type of ceremony it is.

Only with shade and shelter; sun, wind and damp push it out of tune. Agree an indoor fallback with the harpist.

Usually well before the first piece, to carry the harp in, let it settle and tune. Ask how long they need.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: String QuartetHow to hire: Pianist for HireHow to hire: Acoustic DuoHow to hire: Solo MusicianHow to hire: Wedding SingerHow to hire: SaxophonistHow to hire: Wedding Officiant / CelebrantHow to hire: Wedding PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Harpists near you

Harpists in LondonHarpists in ManchesterHarpists in BirminghamHarpists in GlasgowHarpists in BelfastAll harpists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — licence to play live or recorded music
  2. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  3. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  4. HSE — portable appliance testing FAQs
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. gov.uk — marriages in England and Wales: plan your ceremony
  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