Public processions

A public procession is usually a march, parade, walk or similar moving event which takes place in public and follows a route. It can include an assembly point before the procession starts and a dispersal point after it finishes.

Notification is normally required at least 28 days before the procession. Shorter notice can sometimes be accepted in exceptional circumstances, but the ordinary expectation is that notice should be given in advance so that the council, Police Scotland and other relevant services can consider the arrangements.

How public processions are dealt with

Public processions are dealt with under Part V of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. They are not treated like ordinary licence applications. The organiser does not ask the council for permission in the usual licensing sense. Instead, the organiser gives statutory notification to the council and Police Scotland of what they propose to do.

We have prepared a public processions guide document explaining:

• what role Licensing has in the process
• what the council can and cannot consider
• who to contact about common issues such as road closures, access, litter, clean up, land use, trading and public safety

Details of current public procession notifications are available to view on our current licence applications page under civic licence applications.

Notify us about a public procession

If you are organising a public procession, you must notify the council and Police Scotland of the proposed procession.

If you have a question about the public procession notification process or our role within it, please contact us.