HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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

Mobile discos need no licence in the UK. Here is what the hall needs, what to ask and what the quote must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a mobile disco in five steps

  1. Check the hall's rulesWhether it allows mobile discos, its limiter, curfew and music licence.
  2. Match the rig to the roomA children's party needs far less than three hundred guests.
  3. Get PAT and insurance copiesMost halls ask the mobile disco for both.
  4. Plan accessParking and a route for unloading heavy speakers and lights.
  5. Agree music, finish time and extras in writingKaraoke, a dance floor or uplighting priced line by line.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no statutory register for mobile discos anywhere in the UK, and no exam to pass before taking bookings. A mobile disco is a lot of electrical kit in a hall full of people, so the paperwork venues ask for matters.

Speak to someone who booked the mobile disco recently, and get the terms on paper first.

Music licence and event licensing where the mobile disco 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 mobile disco 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 mobile disco is booked.

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

Safe electrics and insurance for the mobile disco

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury — the mobile disco's the speakers, lighting rig and any light-up dance floor 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 the speakers, lighting rig and any light-up dance floor and for public liability insurance anyway, at a level they set.

Ask the venue what it needs, then ask the mobile disco for the PAT record and the insurance certificate. hse.gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Anyone paid to work as a mobile disco is acting as a trader, which brings in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and its promise of reasonable care and skill. A booking for a specific date is usually outside the 14-day cancellation right, as regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes date-bound leisure and catering services, so the deposit terms in the mobile disco's contract matter.

Read the mobile disco's cancellation, deposit and postponement terms before you pay anything. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A mobile disco is a standard-rated service, so a registered disco adds 20%. Mobile discos with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, charge it, and itemise it on every quote and invoice.

Ask the disco whether it is VAT-registered, and if so for the number and the 20% under the package. gov.uk →

“Has the mobile disco played this hall before?”

A good answer: Yes, or an offer to check the access, sockets and limiter with the hall.

“What size of rig will you bring for our numbers?”

A good answer: A mobile disco that scales sound and lights to the room and guests.

“How long do you need to set up and pack down?”

A good answer: A time that fits the hall booking, so you are not charged for extra hall hours.

“Is the kit PAT tested, and are you insured?”

A good answer: Copies of the PAT record and public liability certificate for the hall.

“What music suits a mixed-age crowd?”

A good answer: A DJ from the mobile disco who asks about the guests and takes your must-play list.

“What do extras cost — karaoke, dance floor, uplighting?”

A good answer: Each priced separately on the quote.

“What happens if the DJ is ill?”

A good answer: A stand-in DJ from the mobile disco or a refund, in writing.

Getting the quote right

  • Date, hall, setup time, start and finish of the mobile disco
  • Sound and lighting in the standard package
  • Extras: karaoke, light-up dance floor, uplighting, photo booth — each priced
  • Extra-hour rate and travel
  • The disco's VAT number, if registered, and VAT under the package and extras
  • Deposit, balance and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends: the DJ you spoke to, or another from the disco's roster — employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • The mobile disco has no PAT record or insurance the hall can see
  • No written booking
  • No answer on setup time when the hall is booked by the hour
  • Pressure to add extras you did not ask for
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£1,500

What a mobile disco costs: £200–£1,500 per booking

Mobile discos quote per booking for a package of hours with standard sound and lights; extras such as karaoke and dance floors are priced on top. Mobile Disco 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

Mobile discos near you, with the badges that matter shown

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  1. Unload and set upThe mobile disco arrives inside the hall booking, unloads safely and runs cables away from walkways.
  2. TestSound and lights checked within the limiter.
  3. Early eveningBackground music and any children's games if booked.
  4. Dance floorMusic to your brief, extras like karaoke at the agreed time.
  5. Pack downKit cleared before the hall booking ends, balance settled.

Mobile disco
A DJ with portable sound and lights who sets up at your venue.
Light-up dance floor
Panels with built-in lights laid over the floor, priced as an extra.
Uplighting
Coloured lights placed around the room's walls.
PAT record
A record of portable electrical equipment inspection and testing.
Sound limiter
A hall device that cuts power above a set volume.
Load-in
Bringing kit from the vehicle to the room.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingIt records the mobile disco's package and hours.
Check the hallAny marks or damage raised with the mobile disco and the hall promptly.
Note what was deliveredExtras paid for and actually set up, ticked off against the quote.
Leave the reviewYour review of the mobile disco counts because only booked jobs can be reviewed on Locufy. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the mobile disco is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the mobile disco in writingSay what went wrong — a late start, missing extras, a rig too small for the room — and what you want, by message or email. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 means a mobile disco must work with reasonable care and skill; where the day cannot be rerun, you can ask for a fair reduction, up to the whole price.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the mobile disco 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 3When the trader stops replyingNo regulator oversees mobile discos. 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 mobile discos to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the mobile disco will not returnThe last step against the mobile disco is a small claim: 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 mobile disco: questions people ask

No — there is no licence for mobile discos themselves. Licensing here is about the place and the event, and a licensed venue normally holds the music licence.

Not by law. Safe electrics are the legal duty, not a PAT sticker, and cover is optional — but expect your venue to ask the mobile disco for each.

£200 to £1,500 per booking, typically around £400. What drives the price is in the mobile disco price guide; put your town in the search above to compare local mobile discos.

Not as a yearly legal rule: HSE says the law requires electrical kit to be kept safe without fixing a test interval. Many halls still ask for a PAT record.

Usually an hour or so before the start. Make sure the hall booking covers it.

Many do, with games and age-suitable music. Ask whether the DJ brings a record check if you want one.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Party DJHow to hire: Wedding DJHow to hire: Children's EntertainerHow to hire: Event Lighting HireHow to hire: PA & Sound System HireHow to hire: Photo Booth HireHow to hire: Live BandHow to hire: Party PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Mobile discos near you

Mobile discos in LondonMobile discos in ManchesterMobile discos in BirminghamMobile discos in GlasgowMobile discos in BelfastAll mobile discos 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. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register