Free The Night Launches Open Letter As Legal Challenge Moves Forward
Free The Night has launched an open letter calling for urgent reform of Northern Ireland’s licensing system, as its legal challenge moves toward court. The first court date has been provisionally set for 12 June 2026.
The open letter, signed by members of Northern Ireland’s creative community alongside venue operators, promoters, business owners and community organisers, argues that the current system is holding back nightlife and culture after dark and making it far too difficult for new, independent venues and grassroots cultural spaces to open.
So far, it has been signed by key international figures from the electronic music scene in Northern Ireland, including David Holmes, Max Cooper, Or:la, Cormac, Cromby, Jordan Nocturne, Fergie and Kessler, with many giving their own statements of support.
The open letter calls for six key reforms: reform or abolition of the surrender principle; changes to the occasional licensing system; a new licence category for cultural spaces; modernised opening hours; the removal of anti-competitive objection routes; and publication of the evidence used to reject key recommendations from the independent review.
The letter follows pre-action correspondence issued on behalf of Holly Lester, DJ and co-founder of Free The Night, challenging the Department for Communities’ response to the University of Stirling’s independent review of liquor licensing in Northern Ireland.
That review identified major structural problems in the current licensing system and proposed clear routes for reform, including changes to the surrender principle, reform of occasional licences, and the creation of licence categories better suited to cultural and mixed-use spaces. .
Holly Lester, co-founder of Free The Night said:
“Northern Ireland’s outdated licensing laws have held back nightlife and after-dark culture for far too long. They make it harder for new and independent venues to open, limit creative opportunities, stifle innovation, and restrict what communities can build for themselves - serving only a select few existing interests.
Despite the Stirling University review, which highlighted serious structural problems and made clear recommendations for reform, the Department has refused to act. I am proud to be fronting the case against the Department and to speak loudly and clearly for the creatives, performers, artists, aspiring business owners, and lovers of culture, music, and nightlife across Northern Ireland. We demand better!”
The campaign is now urging supporters across the creative sector and beyond to back the open letter and add to growing calls for meaningful reform.
Alongside the campaign, Free The Night will also mark its fifth birthday with a fundraiser event on Saturday 11 April 2026 at Ulster Sports Club, Belfast, running from 10.30pm to 3.00am.
The lineup includes Marion Hawkes B2B Noel Watson, Timmy Stewart B2B Jordan Nocturne, and Hannah B2B Sophie. The event will celebrate five years of Free The Night’s work while raising support for the campaign’s next phase.
