Pembrokeshire County Council has revoked the premises licence for the Tenby Summer Spectacular after concluding that key licensing objectives were not being adequately met.
The decision follows a meeting of the Licensing Sub Committee on Thursday, 9 July, which reviewed the event’s premises licence.
After considering all of the evidence presented, the Sub-Committee concluded there were significant concerns regarding crowd safety, emergency access and the protection of children from harm.
Councillor Aaron Carey, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Licensing Service, said: “Neither I nor Pembrokeshire County Council take any satisfaction whatsoever from this decision and I know this will be very disappointing news for the organisers, volunteers, charities and many people who value the Tenby Summer Spectacular.
“The Sub-Committee also recognises the longstanding charitable contribution of the event, its importance to the local economy and the significant funds it raises for local good causes.
“However, committee members concluded that public safety must always be the overriding consideration.
“The Sub-Committee reached its decision after considering all of the evidence including submissions from Dyfed-Powys Police, the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Council officers and the event organisers.
“The concerns expressed from Dyfed-Powys Police were extremely powerful.
“The Welsh Ambulance Services Trust raised significant concerns regarding emergency medical access to and within the event.
“Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service detailed concerns about crowd numbers, uncontrolled attendance and access for emergency services.
“There were significant concerns from agencies that, due to the size and popularity of the event, it had outgrown its current setting.
“Public safety has to be paramount, particularly where an event involves large crowds in a working harbour environment and affects surrounding public spaces.
“However, the evidence presented by the Tenby Round Table was not sufficient to satisfy the Committee that the licensing objectives relating to public safety and the protection of children from harm could be adequately promoted.
“Throughout this process officers from all the agencies involved in the licensing review had met with the event organisers on a number of occasions and had hoped to reach a position whereby the concerns raised could be effectively mitigated.
“With the event having been cancelled by Tenby Round Table for 2026, all agencies involved in the review have made clear their willingness to continue working constructively with the organisers to address the issues identified.
“The Tenby Summer Spectacular has been a much-loved event for many years, raising significant sums for local charities and bringing considerable benefits to the town and wider county. There is a shared desire to see those benefits continue in the future.
“Pembrokeshire County Council, together with our partner agencies, remains committed to working with the organisers to explore how to deliver a sustainable and properly managed event in the future and stand ready to support discussions aimed at bringing this much-valued event back to Tenby in a way that satisfies the necessary safety and licensing requirements.”
A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Dyfed-Powys Police has been informed of the licensing sub-committee’s decision to revoke the licence for the Tenby Summer Spectacular.
“We recognise the great fundraising work done by the Tenby Round Table and the importance of the event locally.
“After reviewing the event in its current format, we raised concerns surrounding public safety, protection of children from harm and the prevention of crime and disorder.
“Keeping our communities safe must be our priority and we remain committed to working with them to hold a safe event in the future.”
The Licensing Sub-Committee hearing took place on 9 July, although the Tenby Round Table had already announced in June that the 2026 events, due to be held on 16 and 30 August, had been cancelled.
At the time, organisers said the decision had been “forced upon us”, arguing they needed Pembrokeshire County Council’s Public Realm department to use its statutory powers to temporarily restrict pedestrian access to the harbour when capacity was reached in order to manage the event safely.
Following the council’s decision to revoke the licence, the Tenby Round Table said it was “sorry to announce” the licence had been revoked for all future events.
In a statement, the group said it did not agree with the decision but respected the Sub-Committee’s role and its focus on public safety. It said safety had always been its priority and claimed it had first raised concerns with Pembrokeshire County Council and Dyfed-Powys Police following the 2025 events.
The organisers maintained that controlling access to the harbour was fundamental to running the event safely and said they believed this, alongside road closures and other measures, would have allowed the fundraising events to continue.
They also said they had repeatedly highlighted what they believed was the legal framework available to temporarily control access, but claimed the council’s Public Realm department had maintained this was not possible.
The Tenby Round Table added that it still believes the Summer Spectacular can be held safely in Tenby Harbour, as it has been for almost 40 years, and said it had been willing to accept amendments to its licence, including changes to crowd numbers, security, medical provision and road closures.
While welcoming the council’s commitment to work with organisers on future events, the group said it wished that approach had been evident throughout the licensing process and noted that the Sub-Committee’s view had been that any future event would not take place in Tenby Harbour.
