How to start a mobile bar business in the UK (2026)

To start a mobile bar business in the UK, choose your unit (a horsebox, a converted three-wheeler, a trailer or a pop-up bar), get a personal licence, and decide how each event will be licensed: the venue's premises licence, a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) in England and Wales, or an occasional licence in Scotland. Then add public liability insurance, gas and electrical safety checks and a clear price list. A simple pop-up can start for a few thousand pounds. A fitted horsebox bar often costs £15,000–£40,000 all in (typical estimate).

This guide covers the costs, the licences, how to price weddings and events, and how to get your first bookings.

Types of mobile bar

All costs are typical estimates for 2026. Prices vary with condition, size and the quality of the conversion, so get quotes from more than one converter.

How much does it cost to start a mobile bar?

Typical start-up costs (horsebox route, estimate):

Don't forget a vehicle that can tow it. Check your driving licence covers the weight. A car licence (category B) lets you tow a trailer up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass, with a combined limit of 7,000 kg; heavier combinations need extra entitlement.

Licences for a mobile bar

Your personal licence (England and Wales)

A personal licence lets you authorise alcohol sales. To get one you:

• pass an accredited qualification, such as the Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders,
• get a basic DBS check,
• apply to the council where you live, with a £37 fee.

It doesn't expire. It also raises the number of TENs you can give each year from 5 to 50.

Licensing each event (England and Wales)

A personal licence alone doesn't license an event. Every sale also needs premises cover. There are three common routes:

1. The venue's premises licence. Many wedding venues and event spaces already hold one. You trade under it with the venue's agreement, and their designated premises supervisor stays responsible. Get the arrangement in writing.
2. The event's premises licence. Big festivals and shows hold their own licence and sell concessions to bars, often with a fee.
3. A Temporary Event Notice (TEN). For unlicensed venues such as a field, a marquee or a private garden.

TEN rules (England and Wales):

Source: GOV.UK, Temporary events notice (accessed 11 Oct 2026). Late TENs are limited to 10 a year for personal licence holders and 2 for everyone else. For premises licences, DPS rules and personal licences in more depth, see our pub licence guide.

Free bars and "bar service only". If the host buys the drinks and you only serve them, with no sale to guests, a licence may not be needed. If the host pays you for a drinks package, that's a sale and needs licensing. The rules turn on whether there's a sale, so check each case with the council's licensing team before you quote.

Scotland

Scotland uses occasional licences under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. They cover unlicensed premises for up to 14 days per application. Only certain people can apply, including personal licence holders and premises licence holders. The fee set in the Licensing (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 is £10; check your board's current fee. Boards often want applications several weeks ahead, because the police and licensing standards officer are consulted, so ask your board for its lead time.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has a different system based on existing licence holders, and a mobile bar usually works with a licensed partner. There, an occasional licence is granted by the court only to someone who already holds a liquor licence, for up to 6 days at a time. Get local legal advice before taking bookings.

Other permissions

• Late night refreshment: selling hot drinks or hot food between 11pm and 5am also needs licence cover in England and Wales.
• Food: if you sell any food, register as a food business with the council where your unit is kept, at least 28 days before trading.
• Trading on the street: you may need street trading consent. See our street trading licence guide.
• Music: events playing music may need cover, often arranged by the venue or organiser.

Insurance and safety checklist

Event organisers will ask for paperwork before they confirm your pitch. Keep it in one folder.

• Public liability insurance. Each event sets its own minimum cover, so check before you book.
• Employers' liability insurance once you employ anyone, even casual staff.
• Vehicle and trailer insurance, including while parked on site.
• Stock and equipment cover.
• Gas safety certificate from a Gas Safe engineer if you use LPG or CO2 for draught.
• Electrical safety: portable appliance testing, safe generator or hook-up use.
• Fire risk assessment and extinguishers suited to your unit.
• Risk assessment and method statement for set-up, power and crowds.
• Age verification policy (most bars use Challenge 25) and a refusals log.
• Allergen information for cocktails and any food (for example, egg white, milk, nuts in liqueurs). On Menuthere you can tag the 14 allergens, calories and a halal mark on each drink, on every plan including Free, and guests see them when they open the drink.

How to price a mobile bar

You'll usually work in one of three ways:

Worked example (illustrative): a gin and tonic sells for £8.00 inc VAT. That's £6.67 ex VAT. A 50ml measure of gin, tonic, ice and garnish costs £1.80. Gross profit is £4.87, or 73%. Check your own drinks with the drinks GP calculator.

A wedding package (illustrative): 80 guests × 3 drinks each × £7.50 average = £1,800 inc VAT of drinks. Add a hire fee to cover travel, set-up and staff hours. Write down what's included: hours, staff numbers, glassware, ice and a closing time.

VAT: alcohol is standard-rated at 20%. Once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months, you must register for VAT.

Pitch fees: festivals often charge a flat fee or a share of takings, and some want it months in advance. Work out how many drinks you must sell just to cover it before you sign.

Speed up service at busy events

Queues cost you sales. At a festival, people give up on a second drink if the line is long.

• Show your drinks menu on a QR code at the bar and on the queue barrier, so people decide before they reach you.
• Let guests order and pay on their phone, then collect. With Menuthere, guests scan, choose and pay by card through your own Stripe account (Lite and above), and the order rings on your phone. Call out names or order numbers at collection. You still check ID when you hand over drinks.
• Sell out cleanly. Switch off the cocktail you've run out of in one tap.
• Keep one menu link for every event. Swap items in and out for each booking.

Menuthere takes 0% commission. QR codes, collection orders, sold-out switches and allergen tags are free to start (50 orders a month); card payments need Lite, from US$17 a month (billed in US dollars; your bank converts it). See bar ordering and QR code ordering.

Put your drinks menu on a QR code before your first event.

Create your free ordering pagebook a demo (opens in a new tab)

How to start a mobile bar business: step by step

1. Pick your market: weddings, festivals, corporate or private parties. Each needs a different unit and price list.
2. Test it cheaply. Work a few events for an existing mobile bar or start with a pop-up.
3. Get your personal licence (England and Wales) or the Scottish equivalent.
4. Write a short business plan with costs, prices and how many events you need. Our pub business plan template has a drinks forecast you can adapt.
5. Buy or convert your unit. Get quotes from more than one converter.
6. Sort insurance, gas and electrical checks.
7. Set up suppliers: a wholesaler, ice supplier and glass hire.
8. Register with HMRC as a sole trader or limited company.
9. Build your menu and price list, with GP for every drink.
10. Market it: Instagram, Google Business Profile, wedding fairs, and dry-hire venues that don't have their own bar.
11. License each booking the right way: venue licence, event licence, TEN or occasional licence.

Thinking of food too? See our food truck guide and mobile coffee van guide.