Outdoor Event Booking Process

Use the following map(s) to determine the location of your event and include this in your outdoor event booking request. If you are unsure of a location, please contact the Film & Events Office.

• UBC Vancouver Campus Map 
• University Commons (outdoor plaza located outside the AMS Nest) and Lee Square (outdoor plaza located between Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre and UBC Bookstore)
• Main Mall and University Boulevard For Main Mall locations - event must remain on grassy areas of alignments - where trees and benches are located - NOT THE GRASS MERIDIAN)

The Film & Events Office reserves the right to change the requested location.

You can find downloadable UBC base and wayfinding maps here. 

An Event Risk Management at UBC form is required for all events occurring on campus.  Outdoor event booking requests may be delayed if a completed form is not received. 

Submit an Outdoor Event Booking Request, and include the event location (site map), Event Risk Assessment form and all other pertinent event details. Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Late applications may not be approved. You can view the estimated response time to your application by visiting the Outdoor Event Booking Request page.

The request should be received:

• a minimum 15 business days in advance of event setup if the event has minimal impact to campus such as standard boothing.
   
• a minimum of six (6) months in advance of event setup if the event has a high impact to campus . This includes including road closures, disruption to the academic core, use of multiple areas, etc. A traffic management plan for events involving road closures and traffic controls must be submitted a minimum of 30 business days prior to event setup.

If serving food or alcohol at your event, please be aware of these additional requirements:

Food

• Cooking food from a raw state and served at your event requires a Temporary Food Permit from Vancouver Coastal Health.
• Cooking all other foods must follow the food handling procedures of Vancouver Coastal Health.
• Third-party food providers are not permitted to sell food on campus, they are permitted to cater an event.
•  UBC Food Services has the exclusive right to sell food on campus at events. 

Alcohol

• A Special Event Permit from the Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch must be obtained when requesting to serve alcohol at an event. 

The following forms must be signed and submitted to the Film & Events Office a minimum 30 days prior to the start of the event when alcohol is being served:

• UBC Alcohol Request Form 
   
• Complete a Event Safety and Emergency Response Plan if the event has 100 attendees or more where liquor will be served. This should include a detailed site plan that identifies where alcohol will be served, dimensions of the event area and all its event infrastructure.
   
• If alcohol is being served by a licensed caterer, the Catered Event Safety and Security Plan from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch is required. 

Confirmation will be provided once the appropriate stakeholders are consulted. There can be no conflicts with university operations or with use of the proposed space and there must be limited disruption to the campus community. Priority will be given to events that support core academic/educational activities.

The Film & Events Office will examine the events’ risks to ensure compliance. UBC will only impose limitations as may be necessary to ensure that the University’s activities, as well as the safety and security of persons and facilities, are not compromised.

If the event exceeds 100 attendees and/or alcohol is being served, additional risks will be reviewed to ensure a safe event. 

At the discretion of the Film & Events Office, a site visit might be required to assess additional risks.

A Short Term Rental Agreement is required for all outdoor events, and will be delivered to the event organizer by email who must read and understand the terms and conditions outlined in this agreement.  A nominal fee is charged for the Agreement and is in addition to other permit fees that may apply.

Final approval is provided once the Film & Events office receives the countersigned Short-Term Rental Agreement, payment and event insurance.

Event insurance as follows:

1. UBC sanctioned event and/or part of the University's curriculum or mandate - covered by UBC's insurance policy.
2. AMS student club event - covered by AMS's insurance policy. Receipt of the Agreement signed by the AMS VP Finance or AMS VP Admin must be received in order for the insurance to apply.
3. UBC student, staff or faculty events that are not a sanctioned event or part of the University’s mandate/curriculum, and third party events - insurance certificate of $5 million is required, with University of British Columbia named as additional insured.  

If food and/or alcohol is served, a temporary confirmation email will be sent to the event organizer until the approval has been received from the regulatory organizations. 

Final approval for the serving of food will be provided by Vancouver Coastal Health.

Final approval for the serving of alcohol will be provided by the UBC RCMP - UBC Detachment and for events that exceed 100 persons, approval from the Fire Rescue Services - UBC Detachment will also be required.