Martyn’s Law checklist for festivals and outdoor events
Outdoor events work differently: a qualifying event needs 800+ people at some point, with entry checked by ticket, pass or wristband. The event footprint, queues and temporary structures all matter.
Likely scope route
What to think about
- Peak attendance on your biggest day — including staff, stewards and traders.
- Entry conditions checked at the gate are part of the legal test.
- Map the footprint: stages, bars, camping, queues, drop-off points.
- Organiser vs landowner control needs recording before the event.
- Multi-day events count their busiest moment, not the average day.
Procedure focus
What evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication tend to hinge on in festivals and outdoor events.
- A movement plan for a perimeter that cannot lock
- Multiple dispersal routes — never funnelling back through the entry gates
- Shelter options recorded, or movement-not-shelter stated plainly
- Layered channels: stage PA, screens, stewards, loudhailers and runners
Common evidence gaps
The process gaps venues in this sector most often need to close — each one fixable, and worth a dated record once it is.
- GapDispersal plan funnels the whole site back through the entry gates
- GapInvacuation copied from an indoor template on a site with no hard shelter
- GapWorker count missing from the 800 check — crew and traders never counted
- GapControl of the event never confirmed in writing with the landowner or council
- GapStewards hired on the day have never seen the site plan
Also serving
Sports clubs
Sports grounds, with the clubhouse and bar alongside — 200–799 at a predictable match or event peak points to the standard tier.
View checklist
Places of worship
The places of worship route — where the principal use is worship, the premises stay standard tier even at 800 or more expected.
View checklist
Not legal advice or a guarantee of compliance. Review and approve all documents before use.