HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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

Party planners need no licence in the UK. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the contract must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a party planner in five steps

  1. Set a total budgetAnd ask how the party planner's fee is worked out.
  2. Ask about checks on entertainersRecord certificates and insurance for children's acts.
  3. Check inflatables and foodPIPA tags and food registration.
  4. Confirm the venue's rulesDecorations, music and finish time.
  5. Agree the dayWhat the planner does on the day and when they leave.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nobody licenses party planners in any of the four UK nations, and the law asks for no training or qualification. Children's parties bring their own checks — entertainers, inflatables, food — so ask how the planner handles them.

Ask the party planner for references from the last few months and read the written terms before paying.

Licences the event needs, and who the party planner gets them from

Selling alcohol, live or recorded entertainment, or hot food after 11pm at a place with no premises licence in England and Wales needs a Temporary Event Notice under the Licensing Act 2003. Scotland uses an occasional licence from the Licensing Board for alcohol outside licensed premises; Northern Ireland needs a district council entertainment licence for indoor entertainment. Music in public needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, usually held by the venue.

Ask the party planner to list, in writing, every licence or notice the event needs and who is responsible for each. gov.uk →

The suppliers the party planner books, children's entertainers included

Each supplier has its own rules: a caterer must be registered with its council as a food business; HSE expects a hired bouncy castle to carry a PIPA tag or ADIPS declaration and a yearly inspection; contracted door supervisors and security guards need an SIA licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Anyone can ask for a basic check on themselves: a basic DBS check in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure in Scotland, a basic AccessNI check in Northern Ireland. No licence requires a self-booked entertainer to hold one, so ask the party planner whether they collect them.

Ask the party planner to send each supplier's registration, tag, licence or insurance, not just a name. Ask the party planner to show each entertainer's certificate and insurance. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Booking a party planner who does this for a living means dealing with a trader: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies, including the duty of reasonable care and skill. What usually does not apply is a cooling-off period — regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes services for leisure activities or catering on a fixed date outside it — so read how the party planner handles cancellation and deposits.

Get the party planner's terms on cancellation, date changes and illness on one page before you commit. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A party planner's fee is standard-rated at 20%. Among party planners, any with taxable turnover above £90,000 must be registered, add the VAT and show it apart from the net figure.

Ask the party planner for the VAT number and whether supplier prices are shown before VAT. gov.uk →

“How is the party planner fee worked out?”

A good answer: A clear figure or method in writing.

“Do the children's entertainers you book hold record certificates?”

A good answer: Yes, collected by the party planner.

“Are bouncy castles PIPA tagged and inspected?”

A good answer: Tag numbers from the party planner and inspection dates.

“Is the food from a registered business?”

A good answer: Yes, with allergen information.

“Will you run the party on the day?”

A good answer: Yes, with hours.

“Do you take commission from suppliers?”

A good answer: A plain answer from the party planner.

“What if an entertainer cancels?”

A good answer: A replacement plan.

Getting the quote right

  • The party planner's fee and what it covers
  • Suppliers booked and their prices
  • On-the-day hours
  • Commissions, if any
  • Deposit, payment stages and cancellation terms
  • The party planner's VAT number, with VAT shown on the planning fee
  • Who actually attends on the day — the planner or an assistant — and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No checks on children's entertainers
  • Inflatables with no tag
  • Fee method unclear
  • No written contract
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£400
HIGH
£2,000

What a party planner costs: £250–£2,000 per party

Party planners charge per party by a flat fee or a share of the budget, with entertainers, hire and food paid on top. Party Planner 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

Party planners 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. BriefThe party planner agrees theme, guests, budget and date.
  2. BookingEntertainers, hire and food booked and checked.
  3. PaperworkCertificates, tags and insurance collected.
  4. Party dayPlanner runs the timetable.
  5. CloseSuppliers cleared, venue left tidy.

Theme
The look and feel of the party.
Party bags
Gifts for guests to take home.
PIPA tag
A numbered tag showing an inflatable has been tested.
Basic DBS / Level 1 / basic AccessNI
The criminal record checks an individual can request in each nation.
Run sheet
The timed plan for the party.
Supplier commission
A payment from a supplier to the planner.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the contractWith the supplier list the party planner booked.
Check invoicesAgainst the quote.
Thank the suppliersAnd note any you would book again.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, which is why one about the party planner carries weight. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the party planner is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the party planner in writingExplain in writing what fell short — suppliers missing, a muddled timetable, checks not done — and whether you want part of the fee back or the work redone. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 builds reasonable care and skill into the contract; for a one-off occasion, a reduction in price is the usual remedy.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the party planner 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 3Advice and Trading StandardsComplaints about party planners 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 party planners to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the party planner will not returnWithout a solicitor, a refund from the party planner can be pursued 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 party planner: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies to party planners in any UK nation. The event may need licences — a Temporary Event Notice, an occasional licence, an entertainment licence — and the party planner should say who arranges each.

No law requires it, but venues commonly ask for public liability cover. Ask the party planner for the certificate, and for each supplier's.

£250 to £2,000 per party, typically around £400. See the party planner price guide for what moves the figure, or search your town above for party planners nearby.

Ask; a good one collects record certificates and insurance.

Yes; ask about a fixed fee.

You or the planner — the contract should say.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Event PlannerHow to hire: Children's EntertainerHow to hire: Bouncy Castle HireHow to hire: Balloon DecorationHow to hire: MagicianHow to hire: Face PainterHow to hire: Candy Cart HireHow to hire: Soft Play HireAll 701 hiring guides →

Party planners near you

Party planners in LondonParty planners in ManchesterParty planners in BirminghamParty planners in GlasgowParty planners in BelfastAll party planners on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  2. gov.scot — Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 guidance: occasional licences
  3. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  4. gov.uk — licence to play live or recorded music
  5. gov.uk — food business registration
  6. HSE — bouncy castles and other play inflatables
  7. gov.uk — check security staff have a licence
  8. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  11. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  12. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  13. nidirect — small claims process
  14. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  15. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register