Book Trafalgar Square
Booking your event in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square hosts lots of different events and activities every year. These include cultural celebrations, commercial events, rallies, demonstrations, filming and photographic shoots.
We accept applications for rallies, protests and small scale, commercial filming and photography.
Sustainable activity
At the GLA, we want to make all our events as sustainable as we can. In the run up to the London 2012 Games, we achieved the BS8901 standard in sustainable events.
City Hall’s Events for London and Facilities Management teams are now working towards the ISO 20121 standard. This standard has been designed to help organisations make their events - and related activities, products and services - as sustainable as possible.
To find out more, see our Event Sustainability Policy.
GLA Event Sustainability Policy
Guidance documents
View a plan of the area managed by the Greater London Authority as well as the boundary line showing Westminster City Councils managed land of the North Terrace.
Please note that the minimum hire period is one hour and there are no reduced fees for hiring the Squares for less than an hour (for example 2.5 hours equals 3 hours hire).
Non-refundable administration fees may be charged for short notice activities on an hourly rate.
Rallies, demonstrations and marches on Trafalgar Square
- No charge but are limited to a maximum time of 3 hours. Cleaning and other contractor costs must be covered.
Filming and photographic shoots* on Trafalgar Square
*Photographic shoots are smaller activities for publication which do not involve a public activity.
- £1,000 per hour plus VAT to be applied on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on disruption to public access and any administration time for the activity.
- For the second and subsequent full days of any let, a fee of £15,000 plus VAT can be applied on a case-by-case basis.
- There is a £200 plus VAT cancellation or postponement fee. Full fee will be charged if cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice. Postponement fee applicable if more than 48 hours’ notice.
- Concessions may be applicable to fees if the organisation applying is a UK registered charity, holding Press Passes as per the GLA Press Pass Protocol or Students with valid ID letter from their education establishment as per the GLA Student Protocol. Any concession will be confirmed on receipt of application.
Commercial activity and photo calls* on Trafalgar Square
Photo calls are activities which have press attendance or involve an activity which potentially creates an audience.
- £1,000 per hour plus VAT.
- For the second and subsequent full days of any let, a fee of £15,000 plus VAT can be applied on a case-by-case basis.
- There is a £500 plus VAT cancellation or postponement fee. Full fee will be charged if cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice. Postponement fee applicable if more than 48 hours’ notice.
The Mayor of London, acting on behalf of the Greater London Authority, has issued a series off byelaws, which he considers necessary for securing the proper management of Trafalgar Square, and the preservation of order and the prevention of abuses there.
The GLA recognises that as an iconic site of national importance Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Garden will regularly be the focal point of local, national and international news events.
In recognition of the role that the professional news media plays in our society and to facilitate news crews and photo-journalists in their news gathering activities the GLA has put in place a pre-authorisation scheme for members of the press operating in the Squares.
The scheme allows UKPCA Press Card holders to take photographs and film in the Squares without prior authorisation from the GLA, provided they display their Press Card when requested and it is for current affairs coverage only.
This means that, unlike other forms of commercial photography and filming, they do not need to seek consent from the GLA in advance of carrying out those activities in the Squares. There are no restrictions on amateur or private photography on the Squares.
Trafalgar Square, one of the world’s most famous landmarks, may be just what you need for your next film location.
View practical guidance on commercial filming on the Square and how to apply for filming activity.
The Greater London Authority holds a Premises Licence granted by Westminster City Council, for Trafalgar Square.
We can stage a limited number of events with licensable content per year. If your event proposal contains forms of entertainment such as music, drama, dance or sports and games, it could be licensable.
Licensable events must comply with certain conditions in order to uphold objectives within the Licensing Act 2003. Compliance with licence conditions can often attract a cost, for example, extra stewarding, security, or a more sophisticated PA system which limits sound levels on Trafalgar Square.
It is worth considering if your event has any elements which could be licensable. As the number of licensable events we may stage every year is limited, not every application can be accommodated.
If you are unsure if your event could be classed as licensable, please complete the appropriate application form (available from the Application forms section) and a member of the Squares Team will contact you with more information and advice.
A set of risk assessment and method statements (RAMS) is required for every activity taking place on Trafalgar Square.
How to apply
Applications for small scale rallies, protests, commercial filming and photography will be assessed on an individual basis.
Applicants must show that proposed activity will be professionally managed, meeting all relevant government guidance and legislation.
As part of the authorisation process for requests for use of Trafalgar Square/Parliament Square Gardens for protests and rallies, a suitable site specific risk assessment must also be submitted.
Applications must be received at least 14 days’ ahead of the proposed activity, however we would advise to get an application in as soon as possible. Please note that authorisation may be withdrawn at any time by ourselves, or as a result of government or local authority advice.
We require a minimum of 14 days upon receipt of application to process and review supporting documentation.
Application forms
Please download the correct form and open it as an Adobe PDF. You will then be able to fill it in.
Please email your completed form to [email protected]
Frequently asked questions
The GLA manages Trafalgar and Parliament Square Garden and there is an application form and fee for their use. A completed application needs to be submitted at least fourteen working days before the event. Large or complex proposals will require longer notice periods.
If your event contains an element of licensable activity, the GLA require at least 28 working days’ notice in order to comply with licence conditions.
Applications will not be taken for Trafalgar Square more than six months in advance and organisers may have only one application pending in the same period. Applications operate on a first come, first served basis. Weekend bookings for rallies and demonstrations may take precedence over other activities.
Once a completed application has been received with all necessary documentation attached, your application will be considered valid and passed to an Events Officer. An available date will then be confirmed and the officer will assess the application and all the details of the event/activity. Once all the relevant information has been provided the Officer will determine if approval can be given.
Final approval will only be granted once full details of the activity requested by the GLA are given.
Organisers must provide full details of the activity, date, times and information of any equipment and infrastructure bought onto the Square.
Additional documents are required such as risk assessments for equipment and infrastructures. In addition to a completed application form, a copy of the current Public Liability Insurance for a minimum cover of £5 million is required for the GLA to consider an activity on Trafalgar or Parliament Square Garden.
Public Liability Insurance provides cover in the event that organisers injure anyone or damage third party property - such as GLA property or that of other visitors, consultants and others. This cover is vital in the event that the organisers cause serious injury or even death. The cover is based upon negligence, so any other party would still need to prove that the organiser was negligent. The policy responds to claims from third parties.
Will Public Liability insurance for less than £5 million be okay?
The GLA requires Public Liability Insurance cover for a minimum of £5 million and would request the organiser to purchase sufficient cover for the period of the event.
Can Public Liability Insurance be in another currency, for example Euro or US$?
Insurance may be in a different currency however when the foreign currency cover is converted to British pounds it must cover a minimum of £5 million. The currency conversion rate used to assess if the insurance covers a minimum of £5 million will be the current exchange rate. A copy of the foreign Public Liability Insurance must be provided and confirmation and translation may be required to verify that it is valid Public Liability Insurance for the activity.
In order to confirm dates and to assess if approval can be given, the GLA does require a complete application form with all sections completed and relevant documentation attached.
You should therefore provide as much detail as possible when submitting the application and send any other details and documents soon as possible.
This is so the application can be considered valid and passed to an Events Officer. A date will then be confirmed and your application assessed. Final approval will be granted only when full details of the activity requested by the GLA are given.
We have created a FAQs document to provide you with further information on booking Trafalgar Square for your event.
If none of the FAQs or website guidance answers your questions please contact the team at [email protected]
We will be happy to assist and discuss any questions you may have.
Trafalgar Square events calendar
For updates on events at Trafalgar Square please see our Trafalgar Square current events calendar.
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