Organising an event in Penrith

Council owned sporting grounds and reserves may be booked for special events, carnivals and various community activities. 

Prices and permits vary depending on the nature of the booking and the park/ reserve requested.

Application forms must be completed and returned with all required supporting documentation at least 6 weeks prior to the event date. Please note, some activities may incur additional processing times including but not limited to:

• Signage such as display boards or banners
• Selling or consumption of alcohol
• Use of portable structures, tents, sunshades, marquees and stalls
• Selling of food
• Traffic Management and road closures
• Amusement rides, jumping castles, animal farms or petting zoos
• Fireworks

For further information including terms and conditions, fees and charges, application to Use a Council Facility for Special Events and contact details click here.

If you are holding an event on Council land (not a park, sports field or reserve) you may need the owner’s consent.

Please contact:

Council’s Property Development Team

Councils Customer Experience Centre

02 4732 7777

All temporary food businesses, including not-for profit organisations and charities, are required to sell safe food at events. Any person selling food at temporary food stalls or mobile vans for human consumption are deemed a ‘food business’ under the Food Act 2003 and is required to comply with the Food Standards Code.

The NSW Food Authority's Food Handling Guidelines for Temporary Events outlines how the requirements of the Food Act and Food Standards Code can be met including minimum standards for hand washing, construction, temperature control, cleaning and maintenance, sanitising and skills and knowledge of food handlers.

From the 8th December 2023 most food businesses will need to ensure they have a Food Safety Supervisor if they sell ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous, or unpackaged foods. (Not for profit organisations and charities are generally exempt from requiring a Food Safety Supervisor).

The NSW Food Authority’s website provides further information on:

• Guidelines for businesses at temporary events
• Guidelines for mobile food vending vehicles
• Business standards: charity groups and volunteers
• Food Safety Supervisor

Notification to NSW Food Authority is no longer a requirement. Council is your notifying authority - your Application to Sell Food form which you submit to Council satisfies the requirement of notification.

Penrith City Council's Environmental Health Team regularly inspects food businesses at local markets, festivals and other events to ensure the Food Act and Food Standards Code are being met.

For the health of our community, Council requires temporary food businesses to apply for permission to operate at approved events in our city.

For markets, festivals and events on private land, development consent will generally be required for the event. A condition of consent for the event will require temporary food businesses to complete an Application to Sell Food form and payment of any applicable fees prior to the event.

Contact Penrith City Council’s Environmental Health Team to discuss:

• Preparation and service of food and beverages at your event
• Permission for mobile food vans or temporary food stalls to operate at your event
• Application to Sell Food form

An Application to Sell Food form needs to be returned to Council's Environmental Health team at least two weeks before your event.

Smaller events on private land may not require consent, may have an existing consent, or may have an approval that will allow food stalls as they are considered auxiliary to the approved use. An example of this might be a church or school having a cake stall or sausage sizzle.

Council’s website provides further information on

• Links to the Food Act 2003, Food Regulation, 2015 and the Food Standards Code
• Mobile food vending
• Temporary food stalls
• Council’s quarterly food safety newsletter
• Other useful factsheets and links

If you are trading at an event that is not organised by Council, you will need to seek the approval of the event organiser prior to submitting your application form to Council.f

For all information, application forms and contact details click here.

A special event in traffic management terms is any planned activity that is wholly or partly conducted on a public road, requires traffic control arrangements, requires involvement from multiple agencies, and usually involves a large number of participants and or spectators.

Events that are conducted on private land and/or in a private venue may also come under this definition if normal traffic flow is disrupted.

Depending on the nature of the event and the classification of the road(s), a person may also require approval from Transport for NSW and/or NSW Police. Council's Traffic Engineers will advise if this is necessary.

Planning an event that will impact upon traffic and the local road network requires the co-operation and approval of a number of organisations. Any event that will have a broad impact upon traffic and the local road network must be referred to Council's Local Traffic Committee for assessment and determination by Council so that disruption to the road network as a result of the event is minimized. Appropriate and adequate planning minimises the risk to event organisers, participants and the general public.

If your event is going to cause any alteration to normal traffic movement or require any section of road or street to be closed, then you will require a Traffic Management Plan and a copy of Public Liability Insurance of minimum $20 million. Penrith City Council requires that the Traffic Management Plan for an event is produced by a suitably qualified and accredited professional to develop and administer all traffic management plans for the event.

A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) should identify the roads/streets to be closed, time of closure and alternate routes. A clearly drawn map of the area where traffic will be impacted around the proposed event and traffic control plans must accompany applications for road closures, processions and street activities. Additional information for matters to be included in a TMP can be found in Transport for NSW’s Guide to Traffic and Transport Management for Special Events.

To assist Council in assessing and determining Traffic Management Plans for special events, Council requests that all relevant information is submitted to Council a minimum five months prior to the proposed event date. This will ensure sufficient time for reviewing your event application, facilitating approvals through set reporting timeframes, as well as appropriate periods for advertising of the event required of the applicant.

Both Transport for NSW and NSW Police require lodgment of applications for events that require separate approval a minimum 60 days prior to the event. If bus routes and/or bus stops are required to be altered for the event, bus companies require at least 6 weeks' notice prior to the approved event in order to provide appropriate notice to patrons and change the Opal Card mapping arrangements with Transport for NSW.

Additional information

Transport for NSW are required to assess and determine certain applications depending on the type, scale and location.

Transport for NSW classifies events into 4 classes:

• Class 1: Major event that impacts on major traffic and transport systems (event on a main highway) and requires Council, Police and Transport for NSW approval.
• Class 2: Major event that impacts only on local traffic and transport systems (event on a main street) and requires Council, Police and Transport for NSW approval.
• Class 3: Minor event with minimal impact on local roads.
• Class 4: Minor event conducted entirely under Police control.

The NSW Police provide advice to Council on events and will consider applications subject to the Summary Offences Act.

It is the event organiser’s responsibility to engage a licensed pyrotechnics technician to perform the fireworks display. If you want to hold a fireworks display the company engaged will need to follow the guidelines set by SafeWork NSW. A Fireworks permit can be obtained click here.

You may need to submit a Development Application (DA) before you proceed with planning your event to ensure your event meets suitable community standards for the location and type of development you propose. Whether you need to submit a DA or not will depend on a number of factors such as location, nature of event, scale and frequency.

A DA relates to more than just structures and signage, it also includes the use of land for a particular purpose, such as a temporary event. Some applications will require public notification. Landowners consent is required when lodging a DA.

Each event and location is different, and each site has a specific purpose. Council’s Development Advisory Officer can help you determine if you need to submit a DA for your event. Contact the Development Advisory Officer to discuss:

• If you will need to submit a Development Application for your event
• The DA process including lodgement via the NSW Planning Portal
• Fees and charges

Should your event require a DA it must be submitted well in advance to your event and via the NSW Planning Portal. Once your DA is formally lodged it will be assessed having regard to statutory considerations outlined within Section 4.15 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979.  This includes consideration of Council’s local provisions contained within Penrith Local Environmental Plan 2010 and Penrith Development Control Plan 2014.

Development Services - Development Advisory Officer

Councils Customer Experience Centre

02 4732 7777

Visit the Development Tracker here