Community event info and registration

Listen

Events are a great way to celebrate, activate and connect local communities.

If you are planning to hold an event on Council owned land or property, you need to register your event with us.

Community event management

Events can be complex. Council supports community run events by providing best practice information and guidance for running safe, engaging and compliant events in Knox.

Expand all

Plan your event

Helpful examples and templates

Event Site Plan example (email [email protected] for a site map of your location)
Event and Emergency Management Plan template
Risk Assessment template
Traffic Management Control Plan – example
Traffic Management Guide for Events – Safe Work Australia
Project Management Plan - example.

If you are planning an event on Council owned land or property, you need to register your event with us.

Council owned land or property includes:

reserves
community gardens
civic plazas
open spaces.

How to register

To register your event and apply a Council event permit, complete the online registration.

For events under 5000 people, please submit your registration at least 12 weeks before your event is due to take place as additional permits may be required.
For events over 5000 people, please submit your registration 6 months in advance as additional permits may be required.

We aim to contact you within 10 business days after receiving a completed event registration form. The Events team will assess your information and determine if you need a permit.

Required documents

If your event requires a Council event permit, you will need to submit the following documents:

Venue booking confirmation
Certificate of Currency (Public Liability Insurance cover) - minimum of $10 million for small events and $20 million for larger events
Event site plan/map
Event management plan
Risk management plan
Waste management plan
Traffic management plan (if applicable)
Place of public entertainment permit (if applicable)

Please refer to the 'Plan your event' tab for helpful examples, templates and Info Guide to assist in preparing your event documents.

In addition to the compulsory documents, you may require permits and approval from other Council departments, government agencies and regulatory bodies. This may also include responding to current Victorian Covid Safety requirements. Please supply as much information about your event as possible so Council can determine the types of permits and compliance requirements that your event will need to operate safely and within the law.

Place of Public Entertainment Permits

You may also need a Place of Public Entertainment (POPE) permit.

This permit is required when a building or place is being used for a purpose that it is not normally used for. This includes sporting, recreational and other activities and events. You may need a POPE occupancy permit or a siting consent for a prescribed temporary structure also, or events that charge an entry fee.

Please visit the Place of Public Entertainment page to find out more about POPE triggers and requirements.

Community event kits

Council has event kits to help activate community events with ready to go structures, furniture, games and safety gear. Event must hold an event permit/registered with Council to be eligible to use the Event Kits.

The Community Events Kits were developed to support post-Covid Outdoor Precinct Activation and were funded by the Victorian Government.

Small Event Kit

A mobile kit ready to activate your event site, includes:

Knox Events Trailer (standard Licence required)
Outdoor Giant Games
Basic event safety gear and signage

Large Event Kit

A selection of larger event items can be collected by the event organiser from Council’s storage unit, including:

Marquees and Umbrellas
Modular Staging
Basic Audio Visual Items
Stackable Trestle Tables and Chairs
Picket fencing and fencing scrim
Traffic management items
Site decorations and theming
Covid Signage and safety gear

Events registered/permit approved by Council will receive move information about accessing the Community Events Kits.

Event sites in Knox

Knox City Council has an extensive network of open spaces, recreation and sporting reserves and facilities, halls and other community facilities for hire.

Expand all

Parks and reserves

Some parks and reserves are available for community events, where there is a low impact on the local biodiversity and residential surrounds.

Parks are not available for ‘exclusive’ use, meaning that parks must always remain open and accessible to the general public.

Bushland and sensitive biodiverse parks are generally not available for events. Some parks are available on a case-by-case basis, such as:

Ferntree Gully Quarry Reserve
The Basin Triangle
Tim Neville Arboretum

If you would like to hold your event in a park or reserve, you can find information in Find parks, playgrounds and reserves to help with your event registration.

Active sporting reserves and pavilions

Sporting reserves are known as active spaces. The Leisure team manages use of active sporting precincts (such as ovals or soccer grounds).

Community events must not impact the active space. Active sporting precincts can be made available to the public or for community events outside the sporting season.

Community Events are only considered where activities do not impact on the sporting reserve.

Please contact the Leisure team on 9298 8000 or email [email protected] to check site availability.

Arts, culture and heritage venues

Miller's Homestead hosts a range of arts, culture, literature and heritage events
Knox Community Arts Centre is a popular venue for theatre, film cabaret and recitals
Ferntree Gully Community Arts Centre can be hired for community events

Indoor sporting facilities

A number of indoor facilities are available for hire and are subject to the casual hire guidelines.

For more information please call Council’s Customer Service on 9298 8000 or see our Community facilities for hire page.

Please note if community facilities are booked for 18th and 21st birthday parties, Party Safe registration must be obtained with Victoria Police. See Victoria Police Partysafe for more details.

Private property

An event permit is not required if you are planning to hold your event on privately owned property or land. However, you are still required to comply with other local, state and federal laws and regulations. For example, you need a permit if you intend to have fireworks on your private property.

For further information, please contact the Events team on 9298 8000 or email [email protected].

On local roads, bike paths or council-owned carpark

A traffic management plan may be required if your event is on Council’s local roads, bike paths or carparks, and if it is likely to change the traffic conditions.

The traffic management plan will need to be professionally drawn and approved by Council’s Traffic and Transport Team.

Event organisers are required to submit their traffic management plan at least three months before their event, and at least six months if approval from VicRoads is required.

Latest updates

Get all the latest news, events and updates from Knox Arts and Events:

Facebook: facebook.com/knoxartsandevents
Instagram: instagram.com/knoxartsandevents

Subscribe to the Knox Arts and Events news

Need help?

Email [email protected] and we will get back to you.

Or call our Events team on 9298 8000.