Park Events
Find out what's on in Hackney's parks
See the What's On in Hackney's Parks page to find out about this year's many events, activities and festivals, including Parks for Life events.
Holding an event in one of Hackney's parks or open spaces
Hackney Parks are a valuable resource for the local community. They are primarily used for local sporting activities, relaxation, social gatherings, education, dog walking, horticultural pursuits and provide a natural habitat for wildlife.
With the largest expanse of green spaces in inner London, Hackney has a total of 62 parks, gardens and open spaces totalling 330 hectares, emcompassing the largest concentration of football pitches in Europe at Hackney Marshes to the beautiful and historic settings of Springfield and Clissold Parks.
As custodians for Hackney's parks and green spaces we welcome applications for both large and small scale events that add vibrancy, cultural cohesion and exposure to new experiences to the London Borough of Hackney.
If you would like to hold your event in one of Hackney's parks you will need to apply directly to the Parks and Green Spaces Events Officer for your event to be considered.
Before applying to hold your event we recommend that you visit your chosen site to ensure it meets all your requirements.
You can find out more about our most popular venues on the following pages. On each of these pages there is a site map to help you decide which park most suits the logistical needs of your event - Clissold Park, London Fields, Shoreditch Park, Springfield Park, Hoxton Square, Hackney Downs, Haggerston Park, Hackney Marshes and Millfields Park.
How to submit your application form
You can submit an application by downloading the Hackney park events application form (PDF, 143KB). When you have completed the form, read and signed our terms and conditions and produced a park site plan for your event, please either -
- email the documents to dionne.maxwell@hackney.gov.uk or
- post to Dionne Maxwell, Events Officer, Health and Wellbeing -Parks and Green Spaces, 2nd Floor Hackney Service Centre, 2 Hillman Street, E8 1DY
Application timeline
The amount of lead time required for event applications varies dependant on the nature and scale of the event.
Large scale events,(e.g. music festivals with staging and other infrastucture) the application should be submitted at least 6 months prior to the event.
Small scale events, (e.g family celebrations, user group fun days)the application should be received at least 6 weeks prior to the event date.
Once the event application has been received an acknowlegement will be sent within 5 working days.
Fees and payments
Hiring a Hackney park or open space will incur a fee. The fee is determined based on the classification of your event category and the number of proposed attendees. The fee will cover the hire of the park or open space for the actual event days as well as any set up and dismantling before and after your event.
Refundable Bond
In addtion to the site fee, a refundable bond is required to ensure any damage caused as a result of the event occuring can be resolved and that litter which has not been properly managed by the organiser can be cleared by our Waste Management Department when the event has vacated the site. The Bond is fully refundable providing there is no damage or waste issues.
The site fee and bond payment for park hire needs to be received as cleared funds before final approval of the event can be given.
The event approval stage is divided into two parts, the provisional acceptance and the final approval.
Provisional acceptance
All applications are sent for initial consultation to the Metropolitan Police, LBH Parks Department, the relevant Park User Group, LBH Licensing Department, LBH Noise Pollution Department, LBH Community Safety and the local Ward Councillors. When assessing an application the stakeholders listed above consider all aspects of the event including how it will impact the local environment and the potential benefits and/or disadvantages to residents.
Provisional event acceptance or refusal will take approximately 10 working days to 4 weeks to process depending on the size of the event.
The provisional acceptance letter will detail the additional documentation needed to process the application further and notification of the fees and Bond that will be required. This documentation includes, but is not limited to: an Event Management Plan; an original copy of the Public Liability Insurance Certificate; a Fire Risk Assessment; a Noise Impact Assessment; a Waste Management Plan and General Risk assessment.
At this stage, if necessary, the events organiser will be invited to attend and present their event to the Hackney Events Advisory Team (HEAT) meeting. HEAT attendance is usually a requirement for larger events or any event which may have safety concerns for the Council.
The membership of HEAT includes representatives from the departments of: LBH Parks, LBH Licensing: LBH Waste Management; LBH Health & Safety; LBH Highways and Transport, LBH Environmental Health, LBH Trading Standards and LBH Noise Pollution. External partner membership includes representatives from: The Metropolitan Police; London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service. HEAT will consider the event proposal in detail and the meeting gives key stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions, raise objections or concerns and/or give advice for the event proposel.
If the application is considered to be viable after HEAT attendance, the Events Officer will send a letter to the event organiser with the list of additional requirements which have been requested by HEAT and will need to be fulfilled before final approval can be given.
Final Approval
Once all the above stages have been completed and the relevant fees have been paid, a final approval letter will be sent to the event organiser confirming the event is agreed and may go ahead.
Licensing
For events of upto 499 people who are proposing to sell alcohol and or have regualted entertainment, the event organisers will need to apply for a Temporary Events Notice (TENs) via our Licensing Department. For events of over 499 people and dependant upon the location required, the event organiser will have to apply for a Premises License. For more information on licensing your event please visit our licensing pages.
Further information
For more information on events please call 020 8356 4309 or email dionne.maxwell@hackney.gov.uk
Page updated: 24 Jan 2012
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