Nightlife and permit restrictions limiting Jersey nightlife

DJs say Jersey’s nightlife and permit restrictions are limiting them from putting on more events across the island.

A recent new event hosted at a pub in St Saviour in June was shut down by police an hour before it had been scheduled to finish to due to noise complaints.

Local musicians have been calling for more music venues in Jersey – pleas came following the results of the Fort Regent redevelopment survey, which found a 2,500-capacity concert hall was the most popular proposed feature.

The government said it was “in the process” of amending the events law to make it easier to host events in Jersey.

Cisco, cofounder of the Loft – known for its underground music scene, with a mix of local and overseas DJs – said noise issues at its most recent event at The Whitehorse pub were “really frustrating”.

He said: “It’s such a built-up area you can’t really have the music as loud, which then affects the atmosphere of the party even though it’s just a couple of hours – there’s a lot of noise complaints.

“Whenever you’re doing an event in Jersey there’s a restriction on decibel levels. For us, we just want to be able to enjoy ourselves and actually give the people what they want.”

Whitehorse manager Izzie said it was “extremely frustrating” that it had “these restrictions in place”.

The Infrastructure and Environment Department said under the licensing law “non-compliance can be enforced by the police, which may revoke a permit or alcohol licence should events breach the peace or stray from any conditions of their permissions”.

It added there were nationally recognised guidelines for noise, which factored into one-off events.

The Bailiff’s Chambers said entertainment permits were assessed by a number of agencies before being approved by the Parish Assembly.

It said: “These agencies can impose conditions on the licence, which can include days and times of live music, or when DJs are allowed to play and other conditions.

“Each licence is unique to the venue and takes into account its location and any nearby neighbours that maybe impacted by noise.”

Cisco said the music events on the Jersey calendar were becoming “limited” because it was difficult to host them.

He said: “I think, actually, predominantly Jersey is an older population so it’s about actually creating awareness and saying actually this is not all the time, it’s not every weekend, it’s just like a couple of times a year.

“I speak to older DJs promoters now – they all say back in the 90s Jersey was amazing and it’s like why can’t we have that? Why can’t we have the opportunity to have those events?”

The Loft and others said they wanted to host events at nightclubs Rojos and Havana, which were in a central location in St Helier – but they closed in 2024.

“I have found that recently though it’s been a lot more challenging – loads of venues have closed down,” Cisco added.

A government spokesperson said it was working towards making it easier “to hold events in Jersey” by amending the events law.

It said: “The target is for the primary legislation to be lodged this side of the election.”

It added that the Licensing Law was “also due to be lodged in the next few weeks”.

Cisco said over the past few years, young and upcoming local DJs had left Jersey to pursue careers in the UK.

“At the beginning, it was way more exciting, there was loads of talent, there were a lot more DJs.

“A lot of the DJs that we have, I’ve seen them move away to the UK to try and pursue their dreams and goals, which you can’t knock them for because there isn’t the opportunity here – there isn’t a place that you can go and actually play underground music.”

In July, Jersey’s chief minister said the number of young people leaving the Channel Islands to live and work elsewhere was one of its “greatest challenges”.

Laetitia Green, who DJs under the name Ana Crusis, moved to London in 2022 to “feel more fulfilled” with her DJ career.

Before she moved she had provided courses to teach women how to mix music on decks to provide “new upcoming fresh female talent” to Jersey.

She said London allowed her to “be somewhere where I could have the space to be unapologetic with what I play”.

“Since moving to London I have met some of the most amazing people through music and I’ve found a home where my sets are so loved and appreciated.”

Ms Green said the music scene had “suffered globally”, not just in Jersey, but that the island only had the space to do “one-shoe-fits-all” events.

She said: “The difference is that the UK scene is a much larger scale so promoters are able to throw events that fit their ‘vibe’ and ethos, which in itself creates a community of people who align with that ethos.

“I think Jersey needs to reinvent what a good night out is – it’s not about having the biggest headliner, it’s about the people having a good time, a good sound system and the artists playing putting their heart into a set.”