When service ends, how the Festival and Hogmanay extend it, how a premises licence and a personal licence are won, what the bill and the team cost, and the nights that fill the city, for anyone running a club, lounge or bar here.
Edinburgh’s nights run through the Cowgate, the Grassmarket, the Old Town, George Street, Leith and the Pink Triangle around Broughton Street. The Licensing Board’s indicative terminal hour is 1 a.m. for licensed premises and 3 a.m. for those with restaurant facilities or entertainment, and each application is judged on its merits. For the Festival and Fringe, and for Christmas and New Year, the Board treats a 2-hour extension as acceptable when the operating plan says so. Since 23 June 2025 the Board has identified no overprovision areas. The Fringe runs for three weeks each August and Hogmanay is the year’s biggest trading peak. The city has 531,000 residents, 28.3% of them aged 20 to 34, and 5.05 million overnight visits in 2024. For an operator, the operating plan decides the night, so state the Festival and festive extension in it from the start.
What the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the City of Edinburgh Licensing Board ask of a licensed room, from closing time to the door. Liquor licences come from the City of Edinburgh Licensing Board.
These are the Board’s indicative hours; the hours that apply to a venue are the ones in its operating plan. Dashed hours need a premises licence or variation that grants them. The 2 hour extension is added to the premises’ own usual terminal hour, and the Board sets the Festival and festive dates each year.
Everyone who sells or serves alcohol, except personal licence holders, needs at least 2 hours of training from a personal licence holder or an SQA-accredited provider.
MoreIt covers 16 topics, from the licensing objectives and licensed hours to proof of age, test purchasing, units of alcohol and conflict management.
Source: legislation.gov.ukA personal licence holder must show the Board evidence of the prescribed training within 3 months after each 5-year period. If not, the Board must revoke the licence.
MoreIt is also what your premises manager must hold. The application fee is £50.
Source: legislation.gov.ukA personal licence is required by anyone who will be the designated premises manager of licensed premises in Scotland.
MoreA person can be premises manager of only one licensed premises at a time.
Source: legislation.gov.ukYou need an SIA door supervisor licence to guard licensed premises against damage, theft, unauthorised access or disorderly behaviour.
MoreLicensed premises means a venue licensed to sell alcohol for drinking on the premises or to provide regulated entertainment.
Source: GOV.UK (SIA)Every premises licence must have an age verification policy: staff must establish age when a customer may be under 25, or an older age the policy sets.
MoreVenues selling alcohol for drinking on the premises must also display an A4 sign saying whether under 18s are allowed.
Source: legislation.gov.ukA room that holds 250 or more and regularly offers music above 85 dB, dancing or adult entertainment between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., or has more customers standing than seated, must have a first-aid trained person present from 1 a.m. and a personal licence holder as a designated person.
MoreEdinburgh’s policy says hours beyond 1 a.m. bring these statutory late night conditions, so check your capacity before you apply.
Source: legislation.gov.ukA building mainly used for a listed purpose, where 200 or more people can be expected at once from time to time, staff included, is likely in scope. The Act is expected to start in spring 2027.
MoreThe SIA is the regulator and final guidance is due in autumn 2026. It applies across the UK.
Source: GOV.UK (SIA)The Board’s indicative terminal hour is 1 a.m. for licensed premises and 3 a.m. for those offering restaurant facilities or entertainment. Adult entertainment is 1 a.m. and casinos 6 a.m. Opening is from 9 a.m., or 11 a.m. on Sundays, and outdoor areas end at 10 p.m.
MoreUp to 14 trading hours is usually reasonable, and more is judged case by case. Every application is determined on its individual merits.
Source: Board policyDuring the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe, and the Christmas and New Year period, a 2 hour extension to the premises’ usual terminal hour is regarded as acceptable in the normal course of events. The Christmas and New Year period always ends on 2 January.
MoreIt applies only where your operating plan states the intention to use extended trading in these periods. Otherwise an extended hours application must name the specific days and hours.
Source: Board policyAn extended hours application can last up to a month, for a special event or occasion catered for on the premises or a special event of local or national significance.
MoreBeyond the 2 hour festive and Festival extension, the Board considers similar extensions for one hour only, case by case. Repeated applications make the Board ask whether the operating plan should change.
Source: Board policyOn 23 June 2025 the Board decided to stop identifying areas of overprovision. Applications are still reviewed case by case, but no longer against an overprovision area.
MoreThe Board expects detailed submissions on how the licensing objectives will be promoted. The statutory overprovision ground still exists, so the Board can revisit this.
Source: Board pageThere is no temporary event notice in Scotland. An occasional licence covers premises that are not licensed, for up to 14 days, for a premises licence holder, a personal licence holder or a voluntary organisation.
MoreFor continuous use of more than three months, or more than six consecutive applications, the Board generally refers further applications to a Board meeting, which can leave an unlicensed gap.
Source: legislation.gov.ukSelling alcohol in Scotland takes a premises licence from the Licensing Board and a personal licence for the person who runs the bar. In Edinburgh the path runs in this order.
The person who will be premises manager needs one first. It lasts 10 years from issue and renews for further 10-year periods. A person can be premises manager of only one licensed premises at a time.
Source: legislation.gov.ukSource: legislation.gov.ukSource: Fixed feesThe application needs an operating plan, a layout plan, a statement on disabled access and facilities, and certificates for planning, building standards and food hygiene. The operating plan sets out the activities, the hours alcohol is sold, whether children may enter and the capacity.
Source: legislation.gov.ukSource: legislation.gov.ukIf you want the 2 hour Festival, Fringe, Christmas and New Year extension, say so in the operating plan. Without that statement, each extension needs its own application.
Source: Board policyThe Board sets the premises licence application fee up to the Scottish Government maximum, which follows the premises’ rateable value category. The Board’s own figures were not confirmed, so check its fee table.
Source: Board policyThe Board tells neighbours, the community council, the council, the health board, the chief constable and the fire authority. You display a notice at the premises. Any person can object during the 28-day consultation.
Source: legislation.gov.ukSource: legislation.gov.ukThe Board must hold a hearing on every application and must refuse if a ground applies: an unfit applicant, a grant that is inconsistent with the licensing objectives, unsuitable premises, or overprovision in the locality.
Source: legislation.gov.ukThe licence is issued within 28 days of the Board granting it.
Source: legislation.gov.ukIssued by the City of Edinburgh Licensing Board
General information, not legal advice. Laws and licence conditions change and vary by venue. Confirm with the City of Edinburgh Licensing Board before acting on it.
How a table’s bill adds up once tax and a service charge are on it, and what guests pay at the door.
| Minimum spend | £1,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Service charge 12.5%, added by the venue | £125.00 |
| VAT 20%, included in the prices | £166.67 |
| Guest pays | £1,125.00 |
| Tip the guest chooses to add | No tax |
UK prices include VAT, so the £1,000 minimum already holds 20% VAT. The bill above shows a discretionary service charge: the guest chooses to add it, so it is outside VAT.
Source: HMRCA compulsory service charge is standard-rated. Bottles and mixers of £800 plus a mandatory 12.5% charge of £100 make £900, VAT of £180 and a total of £1,080. Shown as optional and chosen by the guest, the £100 carries no VAT: £800, £160 VAT and £100 make £1,060.
Source: HMRCA tip the customer freely gives above the total has no VAT. A business must register once taxable turnover passes £90,000. Scotland has no separate entertainment tax.
Source: GOV.UK (HMRC)Whatever the VAT treatment, the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 applies in Scotland: tips, gratuities and service charges, compulsory or voluntary, must go to workers without deductions apart from tax.
Source: GOV.UKRough estimates for tickets and bottle-service tables, from public listings and venues’ own pages.
£8 to £25
Typically about £12
No Edinburgh venue publishes a club night price on its own page, so this follows the general estimate for Glasgow. Headliner and holiday nights cost more.
£150 to £450
A typical table, about £250
No Edinburgh venue publishes a table minimum on its own page, so this follows the Glasgow estimate, itself scaled from North American estimates. VAT is inside the price; a service charge is extra.
Figures are estimates from the sources and samples listed. They change often and may be wrong. Check with the venue or the relevant authority before relying on them. Venues and events named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Hourly wages for the roles a night runs on, and the rules on tips.
| Role | Range, low to high | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Bar staff£10.00 to £14.82 | £12.24 | |
| Waiters and waitresses£8.49 to £15.45 | £12.21 | |
| Chefs£12.21 to £19.04 | £13.66 | |
| Security guards£12.22 to £19.20 | £14.63 |
Minimum wage £12.71 an hour, since 1 April 2026Source: GOV.UK
Bar: lowest to highest wage reported. Dot: median. Source: Office for National Statistics
All tips, gratuities and service charges must reach workers without deductions, apart from tax. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 and its code apply in Scotland, and cover compulsory and voluntary charges.
Source: GOV.UKKeep a written tipping policy where tips are more than occasional, keep records for three years and pay out by the end of the month after the customer paid.
Source: GOV.UKA tronc is a separate pay arrangement for sharing tips and service charges, run by a troncmaster under PAYE. If the employer decides the split, the employer pays PAYE and National Insurance; if an independent troncmaster decides, only PAYE is due.
Source: HMRCTips don’t count towards the National Minimum Wage. Staff still pay Income Tax on them and may pay National Insurance.
Source: GOV.UKA revised tips code was withdrawn on 29 July 2026 so a new public consultation can be held.
Source: Revised tips code
The nights that fill a room, or empty it, month by month.
Two bank holidays in Scotland, with a substitute weekday when either falls on a weekend. They follow Hogmanay.
Official siteA Scottish supper night, useful for venues with a kitchen.
Couples and set menus.
A fixed date, so it can land on any night of the week.
A bank holiday, so the Thursday night before is a long-weekend night.
Official siteA long weekend.
Official siteA long weekend.
Official siteNo city-wide dates
No city-wide dates
Falls in early August, in the middle of the Festival, not at the end of the month as in England and Wales.
Official siteThe city’s busiest month for bars and late-night rooms. The Board’s 2 hour extension for the Festival and Fringe applies where the operating plan states it, and the Board sets the dates each year.
Official siteNo city-wide dates
Themed club nights, such as those the Liquid Room lists.
Official siteTrade runs across the weekend either side.
A bank holiday in Scotland only, with a substitute weekday when it falls on a weekend.
Official siteA four-day festival with a Torchlight Procession and a Street Party on 31 December. It is the year’s biggest trading peak, and the Board’s Christmas and New Year extension applies when the operating plan states it.
Official siteA 2 hour extension to the usual terminal hour is regarded as acceptable when the operating plan states the intention to use it.
Bank holidays, with substitute weekdays when they fall on a weekend. Pay for staff depends on the contract.
Official site
Edinburgh’s nightlife districts and the rooms each is known for.
The Old Town’s lower street, which comes alive at night with live music, drawing students, backpackers, locals and tourists.
One of the city’s most picturesque and lively areas, under the castle, with buzzing bars.
Home to The Liquid Room on Victoria Street, with The Mash House and La Belle Angele also listed as Old Town rooms.
Shopping and dining among Georgian architecture, with bars and cafés, in the New Town.
A diverse range of cafés, restaurants and bars, so you are never short of choice.
Broughton Street is known locally as the Pink Triangle, with a lot of LGBTQ+ venues at the top of Leith Walk.
Ranked by monthly Google searches in the United Kingdom for each venue’s name with the city, as Ahrefs estimates them. Few rooms publish a capacity, so this measures demand, not size. Only rooms that their own site or Forever Edinburgh shows open are listed.
| Rank | Venue | Nights | Music | Published price | Monthly searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The HiveClubSource: Search estimatesSource: Forever Edinburgh clubs guide | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 900 |
| 2 | La Belle AngeleClubCowgate · 11 Hasties Close, EH1 1HJSource: Search estimatesSource: La Belle Angele | Club nights Fri and Sat from 11 p.m., gigs from 7 p.m. | Not listed | Not listed | 800 |
| 3 | The Mash HouseClubOld Town · 37 Guthrie Street, EH1 1JGSource: Search estimatesSource: The Mash House | Dated nights through October, plus Mash Mondays | Not listed | Not listed | 200 |
| 4 | The Bongo ClubClubSource: Search estimatesSource: The Bongo Club | Dated nights through October | Underground electronic and leftfield | Not listed | 150 |
| 5 | CC BloomsClubThe Pink Triangle · 23-24 Greenside Place, EH1 3AASource: Search estimatesSource: CC Blooms | Open 7 nights a week until 3 a.m. | DJs and drag shows | Not listed | 150 |
| 6 | Sneaky Pete’sClubCowgate · 73 Cowgate, EH1 1JWSource: Search estimatesSource: Sneaky Pete’s | Open every night, gigs from 7 p.m. then club nights | Not listed | Not listed | 80 |
Venues named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide. Details come from each venue’s own pages and can change; a venue can ask us to correct or remove its entry.
Who lives in and visits the city. These describe Edinburgh’s population and visitors, not any venue’s guests.
Sell tickets, take table bookings with deposits, run the guest list and check guests in at the door, in one place. Built for clubs, lounges and bars.
The Licensing Board’s indicative terminal hour is 1 a.m. for licensed premises and 3 a.m. for those offering restaurant facilities or entertainment, with outdoor areas at 10 p.m. Each application is determined on its individual merits, and the hours that count are the ones in your operating plan.
The Board’s policy gives 3 a.m. as the indicative terminal hour for premises offering entertainment, except adult entertainment, which is 1 a.m. Hours beyond 1 a.m. bring the statutory late night conditions, including a first-aid trained person and a designated personal licence holder in larger rooms.
During the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe, and the Christmas and New Year period, a 2 hour extension to the usual terminal hour is regarded as acceptable when your operating plan states you intend to use it. The Board sets the dates each year, and the Christmas period always ends on 2 January.
Apply to the City of Edinburgh Licensing Board with an operating plan, a layout plan, a disabled access statement and planning, building standards and food hygiene certificates. Anyone can object within the 28-day consultation, and the Board must hold a hearing on every application.
Anyone who will be the designated premises manager needs a personal licence. It costs £50, lasts 10 years from issue and renews for further 10-year periods. Holders must show the Board evidence of training within 3 months after each 5-year period, or the Board must revoke the licence.
No. The Scottish equivalent is the occasional licence, for premises that are not licensed. It costs £10, covers up to 14 days and goes to a premises licence holder, a personal licence holder or a voluntary organisation. Extended hours for a licensed room are a separate £10 application.
Everyone who sells or serves alcohol, except personal licence holders, needs at least 2 hours of training from a personal licence holder or an SQA-accredited provider, covering 16 topics. Personal licence holders show refresher training every 5 years. Challenge 25 is a condition of every premises licence.
No. On 23 June 2025 the Licensing Board decided to stop identifying areas of overprovision. Applications are still reviewed case by case, and the Board expects detailed submissions on how the licensing objectives will be promoted.
You need an SIA door supervisor licence to guard licensed premises against damage, theft, unauthorised access or disorderly behaviour. It costs £204 and lasts 3 years.
A tronc is a separate pay arrangement for sharing tips and service charges, run by a troncmaster under PAYE. Under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, which applies in Scotland, all tips, gratuities and service charges must go to workers without deductions apart from tax. A compulsory service charge carries 20% VAT; a tip freely given does not.
Alcohol cannot be sold below 65p per unit in Scotland, in bars as well as shops, through a mandatory licence condition. It sets a floor under drinks prices.
£12.71 an hour for age 21 and over from April 2026, £10.85 for 18 to 20 and £8.00 under 18. ONS puts the Scotland median for bar staff at £12.24 an hour for pay in April 2025. Tips don’t count towards the minimum.
VenueStack publishes this guide for general information. We take care to keep it accurate and list our sources and review dates, but we can’t guarantee it is complete, current or correct, and we aren’t responsible for decisions made on it. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, minimums and wages are estimates from the samples described and don’t represent any particular venue. Venues, events and organisations named here aren’t affiliated with VenueStack and haven’t endorsed this guide.
Data gathered in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
LondonEngland, United Kingdom
Premises and personal licences, borough closing hours, cumulative impact zones, the late night levy, SIA door staff, tronc and tips, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
ManchesterEngland, United Kingdom
Premises and personal licences, the council’s Special Policy areas, hours that vary by area, no late night levy, SIA door staff, tronc and tips, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
BirminghamEngland, United Kingdom
No core hours, premises and personal licences, temporary event notices, SIA door licences, tronc and tips law, VAT on service charges, wages and the year’s big nights.
Read the guide
