Legal Q&A: Private birthday parties and wine measurements
Private birthday party
Q. I am in the process of planning my father’s 70th birthday, which will be held at my pub next month. I will be inviting family and friends, including some of my pub ‘regulars’. I have also hired a DJ. There will be a free bar for invited guests and I intend to close the pub to the public on the night. I understand that as this is a private event, I will not have to comply with my licence conditions. Is this correct?
A. In short, yes, as it does not seem that you will be having any licensable activities. I assume you are not charging your guests for the entertainment so, as long as your party is for private invited guests only, the entertainment will not be regulated entertainment, and will not require a licence.
It is important, however, to be clear in advance of the birthday party as to who is invited and a guest list is always a good idea. If there is any doubt as to who can attend, there is a risk the authorities could consider the event not private but open to the public.
It may also be a good idea to call a friendly licensing off icer at the council closer to the date just to ensure there is no unexpected authority visits on the night. Please also remember to be mindful of noise levels if the party is to go on late, and monitor these accordingly as other legislation (eg, noise abatement notices) still apply.
Wine measurements
Q. My wife and I run a small bar in the city dedicated to wine enthusiasts. We have o fered customers certain wines by the glass in 175ml and 250ml measures with others only being available by the bottle. However, we recently had a visit from the local Trading Standards officer, who informed us we have to o fer our still wine in 125ml measures and every single wine must be offered in this quantity. Is this correct?
A. All premises licences contain a mandatory condition requiring that still wine in a glass must be available in 125ml measures. And, due to recent changes to the mandatory conditions, you are now required to display the smaller measures on the premises on your menus, price lists or on other printed material, for example, on a blackboard.
Additionally, if a customer does not specify the quantity of alcohol they want, you must make them aware the relevant smaller measure is available. If you o fer still wine by the glass then you must make 125ml measures available and be satis ied your customers are aware of availability.
Conversely, if there are some wines you only sell by the bottle then you are not required to o fer these in 125ml (or indeed any other) quantities.
As long as each still wine you o fer by the glass is also available in the 125ml quantity then you will be complying with the law.
