What the rules say, and what a band can't do
- Age limits differ. The minimum age for buying or being served alcohol is not the same in every country, and in some places it depends on the type of drink or the venue.
- You need to check the local rules. As the organiser, find out what applies where the event is held, and what your licence or your venue requires. If you are unsure, ask the local licensing authority.
- The seller stays responsible. Wherever the law requires bar staff to verify age, a wristband doesn't change that.
A band doesn't remove the responsibility at the bar. What it does is make the check faster, because the ID has already been looked at once, at the door.
The legal age or your own limit?
The legal age for serving is set by the country where the event takes place. A higher limit for the whole event, or for one area, is your own decision as the organiser. The band works the same way either way: a colour of its own and the age printed on the band.
Two ways to set it up
One extra band: everyone gets the entry band, and those who have shown ID and are old enough get a second band. Simple at the door, but some guests wear two bands.
Two entry bands: guests under the age limit get one band and guests over it get another, each in its own colour. One band per guest, but the entrance has to check the age of everyone.
Colour and text
- Choose a colour for the age band that is far from the entry band's colour, so the bar doesn't mix them up in poor light.
- Don't let red against green be the only difference. Red-green colour blindness is common, so separate them with light against dark as well, and with text.
- Print the age large, for example 18+, using the age that applies to your event. On a vinyl band the variant name becomes the second line of the print.
The whole colour system is covered in the guide to colour-coded entry wristbands.
At the door
- Check ID before the band goes on.
- Let staff put the band on, not the guest.
- Tighten it so it can't be pulled over the hand.
- Refuse bands that have been repaired with tape, a knot or glue.
- Lock away the age bands. A band that goes astray works as proof of age at the bar.
Both our bands close with a single-use lock and have to be cut to be removed. Read more in the guide to security and single-use locks.
Questions and answers
Is an age band enough at the bar?+
The band helps, but the responsibility stays with whoever serves. Where the law requires age to be verified, the seller still has to be satisfied that the guest is old enough.
What age should the band show?+
The age that applies where your event is held, or a higher limit of your own. Check the local rules before you design the band.
Which band is best for age checks?+
A vinyl wristband with a snap lock in a colour that differs clearly from the entry band, with the age printed on it. It can't be taken off and given to someone else.