Licensing and the Commonwealth Games

01 Jun 2026

By Arlene Dunbar, Licensing Team Lead, Licensing, Gilson Gray

Glasgow will once again host the Commonwealth Games from 23 July to 2 August 2026 – its second time staging the event – bringing a significant increase in visitors, hospitality activity, and economic opportunity.

The Games are expected to welcome around 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories, alongside spectators, officials, and media representatives from across the Commonwealth. For the hospitality sector, this represents not just a major sporting event, but a sustained period of intensified demand for licensed premises across the city.

Extended Hours and the Licensing Response

In anticipation of increased activity, the Glasgow Licensing Board has taken a proactive approach by permitting licensed premises to remain open one hour later than their standard terminal hour for the duration of the Games.

This reflects recognition that:

• Visitor numbers will rise significantly.
• Sporting events and related activity will continue into the evening, and
• Hospitality venues form a central part of the overall visitor experience.

More broadly, the decision illustrates a willingness among licensing authorities to adopt flexible, time-limited measures to support major events. Similar approaches have been adopted by several licensing boards in response to major events such as the upcoming World Cup.

Importantly, these extensions do not represent deregulation. Premises remain subject to existing conditions and are required to promote the licensing objectives, particularly in relation to:

• Preventing crime and disorder;
• Securing public safety; and
• Preventing public nuisance.

Practical Considerations for Operators

For licence holders, extended hours present both opportunity and responsibility. Increased trading hours may generate additional revenue, but they also extend the period over which risks must be actively managed.

Key areas for review include:

• Staffing – ensuring sufficient levels during extended trading hours;
• Training – reinforcing responsible alcohol service and incident management procedures;
• Risk Assessment – reviewing crowd management, security measures, and dispersal policies; and
• Engagement – maintaining communication with local authorities and Police Scotland.

Operators should also recognise that periods of extended hours often bring heightened scrutiny. The way in which businesses operate during events such as the Commonwealth Games can influence future regulatory confidence in similar flexibilities being granted.

Conclusion

For many businesses, the Games will offer a valuable commercial opportunity. However, success will depend not simply on extended hours, but on how effectively those hours are managed.

For operators who prepare thoroughly and engage proactively with regulators and enforcement agencies, the Commonwealth Games represent more than a short-term commercial uplift. They offer a chance to contribute to the city’s success as a host destination, and to demonstrate the role that responsible, well-regulated licensing can play in delivering major international events.