Autumn Budget 2026: What it means for those in events?

The Labour Party announced its first UK Budget under its new leader, Andy Burnham, yesterday, and, as usual, there was plenty to unpack.

For event organisers, music venues, artists and freelancers, here’s our breakdown of the changes, what they could mean for you and how to plan ahead.

Venues: business rates relief

Business rates are a tax on properties used for business. Relief reduces the amount eligible businesses have to pay.

From 1 April 2027, relief increases from 15% to 35% for eligible pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England. Music venues with a rateable value of £1 million or more are excluded from the increased relief.

Qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England will also benefit from:

• Full Small Business Rate Relief up to £18,000 rateable value, meaning eligible properties pay no business rates.
  
• Partial relief up to £21,000 rateable value, with the discount gradually reducing.
  
• Bill increases capped at inflation for 2027/28 and 2028/29, subject to exceptions.

Rateable value is an assessment of a property’s annual rental value, rather than its rates bill. The inflation cap means qualifying bills can still rise, but limits how much they increase.

Make it count: Find your latest rates bill and ask your council what support your venue qualifies for. A saving could help cover a quieter month or contribute towards your next line-up.

Employers: wage increases

UK minimum wages rise 3.9% from 1 April 2027, reaching:

• £13.21/hour for ages 21 and over.
• £11.27/hour for ages 18–20.
• £8.31/hour for ages 16–17 and eligible apprentices.

These are the minimum hourly amounts employers must pay eligible workers.

Make it count: An extra 50p an hour adds up across a big team. For 100 staff aged 21 or over on minimum wage working ten-hour shifts, that’s another £500 in wages, before other employment costs. Update your staffing total before setting ticket prices.

Bar operators: duty changes

Alcohol duty rises 4.55% from 1 February 2027, alongside more generous relief for qualifying small producers.

Duty is a tax on alcoholic drinks. It forms part of their cost, so this doesn’t mean every pint or bottle will become 4.55% more expensive. The effect on your drinks order will depend on your suppliers and products.

Make it count: Ask suppliers what your usual order will cost from February. Check how much you’ll make on your bestsellers before deciding whether to change prices, switch products or adjust your range.

Artists & crews: travel savings

The 5p-per-litre fuel duty cut continues until 1 July 2027, with the planned inflation increase also deferred.

For qualifying business journeys in your own car or van, the 55p-per-mile allowance for the first 10,000 miles becomes permanent. The rate above that rises to 35p from April 2027.

Employers can use these rates to repay staff for eligible work journeys tax-free. Eligible self-employed people can use them to calculate vehicle expenses. They aren’t automatic payments from the government.

Make it count: Keep a record of journeys between gigs, including mileage and purpose. If you’re booking transport for summer events, ask whether quotes include fuel adjustments so July’s changes don’t catch you out.

Freelancers & businesses: support & tax

The Trading Allowance rises from £1,000 to £3,000 from April 2027. Subject to the rules, this could allow eligible artists, DJs and others to earn up to £3,000 a year from trading without paying income tax on it, potentially helping those earning smaller amounts from occasional work.

Looking further ahead, April 2029 brings:

• Support for self-employed parents: eligible fathers, partners and adopters in Great Britain could receive financial support when welcoming a child. If taking time away from gigs means losing income, this could help. Who qualifies and how much they’ll receive are still to be confirmed.
• Tax payments spread across the year: if you already make advance payments towards your Self Assessment bill through payments on account, you’ll make smaller, more frequent payments. If most of your bookings come during festival season, you’ll need to keep enough aside for payments during quieter months.
  
• A new way to send VAT invoices: affected businesses will need software that sends and receives invoice details directly between accounting systems. If you currently create invoices manually and email them as PDFs, you may need to change your process.

Planning for the future

The Budget offered some welcome support. Higher staffing and drinks costs still need factoring into your plans, though, and business rates relief won’t directly benefit every artist or organiser.

Before putting your next event on sale:

• Update a typical event budget: Take your last staffing, drinks and transport bills and ask what the same event would cost under the new rates.
• Check when changes hit: A February show, an April club night and a July festival will face different costs.
• Work out your break-even point: Once you’ve updated costs, check how many tickets you need to sell to cover them. Base this on what you expect to keep from each ticket after fees and any applicable taxes.
• Confirm savings before spending them: Check your rates relief entitlement before committing it to another booking.

Stay up to date with the latest changes in the events sector by following Skiddle Promoters on LinkedIn and Instagram.