Before you book the square
Private party
or public event.
A dinner in a hired room and a festival on a street are not the same kind of permission. This guide helps you see which questions belong to the venue, which belong to a Berlin district office, and which belong to GEMA. It is not a permit and it is not legal advice.
By EventDoIt · Updated 3 October 2026 · 8 min read
Hired room
Ask the venue which permissions it already holds
Public street in Berlin
The district where the event happens
Private party music
GEMA says a private party needs no licence
Company party
GEMA treats these as generally public
01
Start with where the event happens
Write the address and what kind of ground it is: a room you are hiring, a private garden, a public street, or a public square. The venue’s house rules apply in all of those places. A separate public-space permission is a different question, and it depends on the ground. Do not assume a restaurant booking and a neighbourhood street party follow the same form.
Address
Indoor or outdoor
Hired room, private land, street or square
Who holds the key or the booking
02
A hired room is usually the venue’s permission
If you are booking a room, a hall or a restaurant, ask that venue what it already allows: guest count, amplified sound, the hour music must stop, catering from outside, and insurance it requires from you. Those answers belong in the contract. Berlin’s noise page says family celebrations and private parties cannot receive the exceptions described under § 10, so do not plan on a permit that lets a private party run later than the rules allow.
03
Public streets and squares in Berlin have their own application
Berlin’s service portal describes permission for events on public streets or squares. Its examples include street festivals, parades, flea markets, sports events and open-air music. It asks for liability insurance at a minimum, and says an accident policy may also be required. It tells you to submit the application up to nine weeks before the event, and it lists a typical processing time of four to nine weeks. You apply to the district office where the event takes place. Fees depend on the event. The form itself is issued by that office, not by this website.
District of the site
A sketch of what you will build
An estimate of visitors
Proof of insurance
Whether traffic, neighbours or the fire service must agree
04
Music adds a public-or-private test
GEMA’s events page says a private party does not need a licence. It gives a birthday at home with friends as that kind of party. It says a public event is generally one that people without a personal relationship to the organiser can attend. Flyers, posters, online advertising and tickets point toward a public event. A personal invitation points toward a private one. The same page says company parties and club celebrations are generally public. Register a public event before it happens. There is no fixed number of weeks, and live music needs a set list afterwards. A DJ is not usually the organiser unless they are also producing the event. The venue operator can also be responsible.
05
Write the answer into the brief
Tell every supplier whether the event is a private invitation or open to people you do not know, where it happens, and the hour sound must stop. If a public-space application is required, name the person who will submit it and do not book suppliers against a date the office has not accepted. The deadline planner can show a nine-week prompt for a Berlin street or square. It does not file the application.
Official pages
These are the authority pages for this decision. Read them before you rely on a summary.
Read 3 October 2026. Covers events on public streets and squares, insurance, the nine-week application note and district responsibility. The page is in German.
Read 23 September 2026 for the Berlin guide. Use it for district contacts and the limits on private parties. The page is in German.
Read 3 October 2026. Explains private parties, public events, company parties and when to register. The page is in German.