The three scenarios
- BYOB: clean. Guests bring their own; nothing is sold; no licence needed. This is the easiest lawful setup for a paid event.
- Free event, free drinks: clean. No sale is happening. That's just a party.
- Paid ticket with drinks provided, the tripwire. If admission is paid and alcohol is part of what guests get, licensing law treats it as a sale of alcohol: "the ticket was for the seat, the beer was free" doesn't fly.
The fix: a Temporary Event Notice
A TEN is the lightweight route: about £21 to your local council, submitted at least 10 working days ahead, covering events up to 499 people. No personal licence needed, and you can use up to five a year. Search "Temporary Event Notice" on GOV.UK for your council's form.
Whatever the setup
Never serve under-18s or anyone clearly intoxicated, and think about how guests get home. Wello events with drinks default to 18+ for exactly this reason.
In the app
Wello nudges you about TENs automatically when you create a paid event with drinks provided, and steering to BYOB removes the need entirely.
This is general guidance for UK hosts, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules change and edge cases are real. Check GOV.UK or a professional for your situation. Wello connects hosts and guests; hosts run their own events and are responsible for following the laws that apply to them.