For an event on the public highway, associations must apply in advance to the Mairie and the préfet de département for authorization. If the event takes place in several locations, applications must be submitted to each local authority.
Application for authorization and documents to be supplied
Applications must be submitted at least three days before the event (two to three months if motorized vehicles are involved). For sporting events, a delay of one to three months is required.
Here are the documents to be provided for the authorization request:
- A letter of request for temporary occupation of the public domain (stating the purpose, address and number of people expected to attend) duly signed by the association's representative (president or delegate member) and by three persons in charge of the organization and residing in the department concerned;
- List of organizers (with full names and addresses) ;
- The route of the event, with authorization from the owners if the procession passes through private areas;
- A cerfa 13390 document for an event with motorized vehicles of less than 800 wheels, and cerfa 13391 for more than 800 wheels.
For a sporting event, authorization from the relevant sports federation is required. If it's not a competition, you need to go through certain formalities with the prefecture:
- A request for authorization with form cerfa 13391 to define the route;
- A simple declaration using form cerfa 13447 if there is no course.
When granting authorization, the relevant authorities take a number of points into account, including the safety of people and property, and compliance with installation standards. It should be noted that associations can request assistance from the administration for technical support, or from the police and/or gendarmerie for security arrangements.
Kiomda customer feedback
Kiomda systems are frequently used to assess visitor numbers throughout an event, by measuring the number of visitors entering and leaving the site at various access points.
The public authorities' main requirement concerns aspects relating to public safety. The main points to watch out for are
- Parking lots to access the site. Parking lots need to be sized according to the number of visitors expected (on average, 2.5 people per vehicle). They need to be regulated by walkie-talkie-equipped volunteers to coordinate their actions. Here's a link to a Kiomda report on counting in a temporary parking lot
- Security teams: It's advisable to contact the gendarmerie to find out the rules to be respected, depending on the type of event concerned. Depending on the event, security staff may be volunteers or subcontracted to security companies.
- Site protection. If searches are required at the entrance, easy-to-install, energy-independent security gantries and security metal detectors can be hired.
