Organising a public event

Events contribute to the liveability of an area. They provide an opportunity for the community to come together in celebration and to share common interests and goals. The City's events program seeks to encourage and support our community and maximise both social and economic benefits. As well as running a number of its own events, the City is responsible for approving events run by others.

Events can vary significantly in complexity and degree of risk to public health and safety, and as such, the City engages with event organisers to minimise this through our event application process. Event organisers may also find the City’s Public Events Guide(PDF, 656KB) a useful source of additional information. When organising a public event you should pay due consideration to your guests safety by assessing the risks involved. 

The City encourages all event organisers to be more sustainable by reducing or eliminating single use plastics and facilitating correct recycling practices. For more information about what you can do to help the environment, please see our Handy Hints to Make Your Event More Sustainable(PDF, 749KB). 

Step 1:

We recommend that you first contact the City’s Events team on 9278 9646 or email events@swan.wa.gov.au to talk through your idea and to find out what approvals and timelines your specific event will require. Our process is outlined as follows. 

It is recommended that event organisers first contact the City’s Events team to discuss your proposed event. The Events team will go through the approval processes required and will provide you with the necessary forms and documentation.

Organisers should allow sufficient time to obtain relevant approvals, as some approvals can take time, particularly if they are from external agencies. The larger and more complex the event, the more time that will be required to obtain the necessary approvals. The Events team can provide advice on suitable timeframes depending on the complexity of your event and the different approvals required.

Step 2:

If using your own or alternative privately owned venue, continue to Step 3.

If planning on using a City owned venue or public open space, it will be necessary for you to book. Please contact our facility bookings team on 9267 9321, at facility.bookings@swan.wa.gov.au or complete an online enquiry to ensure the facility is available for your desired date and time and make a tentative booking. Don’t forget to quote the booking reference number on your application.

Step 3:

Apply for your Event Approval. Complete and lodge the Public Event Approval Application online with the Events team ensuring you have attached all the relevant additional information and any other supplementary applications. Alternatively, a printable version of the form(PDF, 4MB) is available to fill out and submit. 

Step 4:

The Events team will then organise for all the necessary approvals from the various City of Swan departments and will liaise with you on any points of clarification if needed.

Step 5:

The City will notify you if the event has been approved and any conditions that are applicable to your event which must be complied with. Where the event is to be held on City land, facility bookings will be notified and will send you a booking confirmation.

It is also at this stage where you will be sent an invoice for payment of the relevant fees and charges for your event. These may include the Public Event application fee, venue hire fee, waste bin hire fee and application fees for other processes such as noise exemption, liquor licencing applications etc. as may be applicable. Payment of these fees is required prior to the commencement of the event.