Conditions for Activities in a Public Place

Busking, Pop Up Stalls & Charity Street Collections

The location of this activity must be:

• At a distance of at least 50 metres from any other busker, pop-up stall holder or person undertaking charity street collection

• At a distance of at least 3 metres from any residential, retail or commercial premises unless you have the permission of the owner or occupier of the premises to be at a closer distance

The permit holder will not:

• Have signage larger than 0.5m²

• Have a structure larger than 2m²

• Perform within 200 metres of the area designated for an event authorised by Council

• Obstruct pedestrian flow

• Remain at the same location for longer than one hour, unless there is a 30 minute break

• Use an amplified sound system

• Act or perform in a manner that in the reasonable opinion of a Council officer causes or is likely to cause injury or nuisance to any person or damage to any property owned or controlled by Council

• At any time argue, intimidate, insult or abuse the public, or engage in any anti-competitive behaviour with other buskers, pop-up stall holder or charity street collectors

The permit holder must:

• Display this permit at all times when undertaking the activity outlined within this permit

Important Changes to the Permitting System (Including where trading is permitted under the Activities in Public Places Bylaw 2023) 

Effective 17 April 2025, the Council resolved to prohibit pop-up stalls from trading on the Queenstown lakefront under the Activities in Public Places Bylaw 2023. This prohibition will remain in place for one year.

Additionally, the Council agreed to cease issuing new permits for pop-up stalls within the Queenstown Town Centre Zone, effective immediately.

What this means for current pop-up stall permit holders:

• If you already hold a valid permit, you may continue to operate on the Queenstown lakefront until your permit expires. 

• If your permit is due to expire before 1 September 2025, you may be eligible for an extension to continue trading on the lakefront until that date. Please contact RCMonitoring@qldc.govt.nz to discuss your options.

Permitted pop-up stall trading locations: 

Pop-up stalls with current permits may operate in the following areas:

• Beach Street

• The Mall

• Arrowtown (corner of Buckingham Street and Wiltshire Street)

• Wānaka (corner of Ardmore Street and Helwick Street)

Note: Current permit holders for the Queenstown lakefront may continue trading until their permit expires, or until 1 September 2025 if an extension is granted for an expiring permit.

Other activities:

• Busking and charity street collections are not affected by these changes.

• These activities remain permitted on the Queenstown lakefront and other approved areas listed above, provided you hold a valid permit.

What if I'm applying for a new pop-up stall, busking or charity street collection permit?

Pop-up stalls:

If you're applying for a new pop-up stall permit, you will only be permitted to trade in the following locations:

•  Arrowtown – Corner of Buckingham Street and Wiltshire Street

• Wanaka – Corner of Ardmore Street and Helwick Street

Note: New permits will not allow trading on the Queenstown lakefront or within the Queenstown Town Centre Zone.

Busking & Charity Street Collection Permits

If you're applying for a new permit for busking or charity street collections, you may still trade in the following areas (with a valid permit):

• Queenstown lakefront

• Beach Street

• The Mall

• Arrowtown – Corner of Buckingham Street and Wiltshire Street

• Wānaka – Corner of Ardmore Street and Helwick Street

If an Organised Licensed Premises Tour is permitted, the licensed premises tour organiser must comply with the following conditions:

11. Organised licensed premises tours

11.1 A licensed premises tour organiser must not cause or allow an organised licensed premises tour to occur in a public place, without first obtaining permission from the Council under Part 3 of this bylaw.

11.2 No person, agency, or business may sell tickets to, or otherwise promote an organised licensed premises tour that is to occur in a public place unless the tour is authorised by permission from the Council under Part 3 of this Bylaw.

11.3 If an enforcement officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a licensed premises tour organiser is not complying with clause 11.1, the enforcement officer may direct the licensed premises tour organiser to stop the organised licensed premises tour until permission is obtained under Part 3 of this bylaw.

11.4 If an enforcement officer has reasonable grounds to believe that an organised licensed premises tour permission has been breached in a public place, or the organised licensed premises tour is causing offensive behaviour or a nuisance in a public place, the enforcement officer may:

(a) direct that the licensed premises tour organiser comply with any relevant condition of the organised licensed premises tour permission or to take action to prevent the offensive behaviour or nuisance from continuing;

(b) revoke the organised licensed premises tour permission if the licensed premises tour organiser does not comply with the enforcement officer’s direction in (a), within a reasonable period of time; and

(c) issue a direction requiring the licensed premises tour organiser to stop the organised licensed premises tour if the permission is revoked under (b).

11.5 A licensed premises tour organiser must comply immediately with a direction from an enforcement officer under clause 11.3 or 11.4.