Friday bars, party committees and student-organised parties
Friday bars and party committees play an important role in creating a good study environment. Aarhus University supports these events by making rooms available and providing operational advice.
What is a party committee?
Party committees organise social events/parties for one or more specific subject areas with which they are affiliated. For each event, a room must be booked subject to an agreement with a host department representative and Arts Building Services. Parties can be held on Fridays between 16:00 and 02:00.
Student-organised parties
Student-organised parties are not organised under the auspices of a Friday bar or party committee. When organising a party, a room must be booked subject to an agreement with a host department representative of the building in which the party will be held and Arts Building Services. If alcohol will be served, you must apply for an alcohol licence. Such licences are issued by the police. Parties can be held on Fridays between 16:00 and 02:00.
Setting up Friday bars/party committees
- If you want to start a new Friday bar/party committee, you must appoint a chair and complete the form “Appointing a new chair”.
- The chair then completes the form “Registration of Friday bar/party committee” and ensures that it and the above form are approved and signed.
- When setting up a Friday bar, the chair must also complete the form “Agreement for borrowing rooms, Friday bar”.
- When setting up a Friday bar, you must obtain a valid alcohol licence via the police.
What you need to know as chair of a Friday bar/party committee
Follw AU's rules
- Ensure that AU’s rules for parties and other events are observed – as well as other rules stated by the Faculty of Arts.
Obtain a valid alcohol licence
- Ensure that a valid alcohol licence has been obtained. Friday bars' alcohol licenses must be renewed every 8 years or when the Friday bar changes its board.
- Alcohol/temporary licenses must be sent to Arts Building Services at artsbyg@au.dk as AU is obliged to record the licenses.
- The alcohol license includes an approved manager. If the manager is unable to be present at the Friday bar, the manager role can be delegated to another Friday bar member.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration
- Check whether the committee needs to be registered by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (please note that the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration also makes unannounced visits to low-risk companies that do not need to be registered with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration – e.g. Friday bars).
Music licens fee
- Check whether the committee needs to pay a KODA fee, and in that case make an agreement with KODA. The party committee must pay any expenses connected with the planning and carrying out of events.
Communication
- Inform Arts Building Services and the host department representative when new board member, including the chair, are appointed.
- Report to artsbyg@au after the Friday bar/party has been held.
- Pass on the necessary knowledge to the new chair.
Fire, evacuation and escape routes
- The new chairperson must visit Maintenance and be instructed in the fire regulations. Escape routes are indicated in the specific room.
- The chairperson is responsible for ensuring that evacuation procedures and escape route plans are followed (including keeping escape routes clear at all times) and ensuring that there are no more people in the room than it is approved for.
- Responsible for ensuring that there is at least one sober guard present at all bars/parties.
- Responsible for instructing the sober guard in the applicable fire and escape route plans.
- Responsible for filling out an operations log for events held in rooms with a capacity of 150 people or more.
Cleaning
- Ensure that the room is left clean and tidy (check the list in the cleaning cupboard) – this includes placing the chairs on the tables, returning cans and bottles to the supplier, dealing with lost property and standard cleaning as well as tidying the room, surrounding areas and outside areas.
- The chairperson is responsible for handling the return deposits.
The Friday bar chair must
- Prepare a semester plan and have it approved by the host department representative and afterwards Arts Building Services prior to each semester.
- The semester plan must be submitted to Arts Building Services along with the current alcohol license.
- Ensure that the different Friday bars have a coordinated agreement for cleaning and tidying common and outside areas.
- Ensure that the right people (the current board) have access to the depot. Once a year, Arts Building Services issue a form so that the names of the people who have access to the depot can be updated.
- Ensure participation in semester meetings, convened by Arts Building Services.
When a new Friday bar chair is appointed
When can Friday bars appoint new chairs?
Friday bars can appoint new chairs twice a year (in June and December). Arts Building Services hold an introductory meeting for new chairs at the start of each semester.
It is important that the outgoing chair informs the new chair about their areas of responsibility and duties.
Complete the form for the new chair
The new chair of the Friday bar and the previous chair must jointly complete the form “Registration of chair/appointing a new chair”.
This form must be signed by the host department representative and Arts Building Services.
Access to depots – Friday bars
- All Friday bars have an Excel spreadsheet with a list of the board members who have access to the depot. The Friday bar must be able to present such an Excel spreadsheet when needed, and must hand over the spreadsheet to the new chair.
- Any access to the depot will be deleted once a year (1 February). The chair must therefore update the Excel spreadsheet with current board members.
- Please note that all fields in the Excel spreadsheet must be filled in, and the format must not be changed.
- The Excel spreadsheet must be emailed to Ingor Haugaard Skov (tekis@au.dk) no later than on 15 January.
- When new members are appointed to the board on an ongoing basis, the Excel spreadsheet must be updated with the names of the current and the outgoing board members. State which members should be added and which should be deleted. Then send the Excel spreadsheet to Ingor (tekis@au.dk).
Submitting reports to Arts Building Services
The chair is responsible for sending a report by email to artsbyg@au.dk after each Friday bar/party. This email must contain information about any unusual events that have occurred, for instance:
- personal injuries/accidents
- the need for an ambulance
- damage to buildings or equipment
- visits by the authorities (e.g. the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration)
- the need to summon the authorities
Semester meetings
Arts Building Services will convene a meeting each semester to discuss Friday bars with the focus on the practical issues related to planning, final cleaning, tidying up and other issues. As far as possible, these meetings will be held in mid-semester. You can find minutes of previous semester meetings as well as the date of the next semester meeting in the right-hand column.
Party committees are welcome to attend these meetings.
Where can we hold a party?
Booking a room
Parties may be held in study areas or cafeterias, which can be booked by sending an email to artsbyg@au.dk. Please note that you must also fill in an agreement for borrowing rooms and have have it approved.
Optionally borrowing a bar
If the party committee/organiser wishes to hold an event in a study area, the chair of the Friday bar concerned should be contacted to discuss the layout of the room/returning the room to its original condition, borrowing bars, storage space and other issues. The contact details for the chairs of Friday bars are available from Arts Building Services.
Room capacity
The room capacity in the table below is specified in relation to the standard layout of the room.
Checklist when holding a party
Reserve a room
You must contact Arts Building Services (artsbyg@au.dk) if you want to borrow a study area or the Nobel cafeteria, and then an agreement for borrowing the room must completed.
Accessibility
Any changes in access to specific doors must be arranged with your local Building Operations and Maintenance Office.
Licences
The chair/organiser is responsible for obtaining the necessary licences from the authorities (for instance a licence to serve alcohol, a licence to handle food or a licence for noise control at outdoor events). The committee/organiser must also pay any expenses connected with planning and carrying out the event (for instance the Danish KODA fee).
Furniture arrangement
As a general rule, the committee/organiser must set up the tables and chairs they need themselves. Please contact your local Building Operations and Maintenance Office if you need any help. The committee/organiser must ensure that emergency exits are never blocked. Please note the instructions for the standard layout of rooms when replacing furniture.
IT
If you need any IT/AV equipment, please contact Arts IT.
Clean-up
The room must be tidied and cleaned and waste must be disposed of immediately after the party. The room and surrounding common areas, toilets and outdoor areas must be ready for normal use Saturday morning at 7.00 am.
Reporting to Arts Building Services
The committee/organiser must report to Arts Building Services via email (artsbyg@au.dk) if any unusual events occur (for instance personal injuries/accidents, the need for an ambulance, damage to buildings or equipment, visits by the authorities or the need to summon the authorities). Reports must be submitted immediately after the end of the party.