When budgeting for your event in London you need to include the cost of hiring a professional DJ. Hiring a skilled and reliable DJ with a track record of successful performance costs money. The question is, how much?

DJs can make or break an event. Make the wrong choice and the entire energy of the night can head south.

The cost of hiring a DJ can vary significantly based on several factors. Event organisers need to make a decision based on what is most important to them and their audience.

As London’s premier DJ agency, we have created this blog post to help event organisers and venue managers budget for their DJ and music programming.

The old saying goes ‘If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.’ It’s very true when it comes to DJs. It’s a false economy to book an amateur DJ and in some cases can land you in serious financial jeopardy. Let us explain why in this blog.

Bookmark this page and refer to it whenever booking a DJ for your event in London.

1. Accreditation: Is your DJ fully trained and do they know how to successfully manage a complex and expensive sound system? Make sure your DJ has LSA accreditation or a similar qualification.

2. Experience: DJs with extensive experience know how to rock a crowd and how to keep them in your venue buying drinks. Experienced DJs are worth every penny!

3. Reputation: Experience isn’t everything, you want your DJ to have a professional reputation and a good track record of being punctual.

4. Celebrity DJs with Followers: If a DJ has some level of celebrity status or a large follower base that can benefit the event, their fee will reflect that.

5. Event Duration: DJs typically charge on an hourly basis the longer the set the more you will pay.

6. Event Location: If the event is within close proximity to the DJ generally you might get a cheaper price. If it’s far away there will be extra costs to cover transport and transport time.

7. Saturday or Sunday: If your event is on the busiest nights of the week such as the weekend the DJ will charge more. You can expect to pay a lot more for special nights like Halloween and NYE.

8. Equipment: If you need a DJ with their own DJ equipment this will cost more. DJs with equipment have to cover the cost of the equipment, repairs, transport and insurance.

9. Sound System & Lights: If you need a DJ with their own Soundsystem or lights you will need to pay a much higher fee.

10. Insurance: All professional DJs should have public liability insurance but your venue might require a higher-than-average level of insurance. This is the case for big hotels. If you need a high level of insurance this premium will be reflected in the fee.

Hiring a non-celebrity DJ in London for a standard club, bar or party event can range from £200 to £800 on average. This estimate is for a DJ with moderate experience.

The lower end would reflect the price for a DJ with no equipment while the upper end would be common for DJs taking equipment or those with more established reputations.

If you break it down by hour the absolute bottom end is £50 an hour for an amateur DJ, normally with a minimum booking of three hours at that price. More on Fridays and Saturdays.

DJs with moderate levels of experience would charge £75-£100 per hour.

DJs that have established reputations, more experience and a bigger fan base will charge considerably more.

If you want to book a DJ in London who has their own equipment, sound system or lights you will need to pay the upper end of that estimate, if not more.

It's essential to remember that these figures are approximate and can vary based on individual DJ rates, event requirements, and market conditions.

DJs with a strong reputation, extensive experience, or specialist skills may charge higher fees. For premium DJs, prices can range from £800 to several thousand pounds, depending on their popularity and demand.

It’s worth pointing out that Wedding DJ services have their own pricing structure and are often based on their equipment and the reputation of the DJ within the wedding industry.

Here are some general considerations that event organisers, promoters and venue managers should think about when deciding on how to spend on their DJs.

1. Budget: Determine your budget early on and allocate an appropriate amount for entertainment. However, realise that the skill level of the DJ will also bring in more ticket sales and keep people in your venue longer. Spending a bit more on the DJ can often make more money in the long run.

2. Equipment: Do you need a DJ with a sound system, lights or DJ equipment? If you do make sure your budget reflects that.

3. Get quotes: Contact a local DJ agency like EPIC. and ask for a quote. At EPIC. we always answer quickly and source the best DJs at the best prices. If you’re working with a DJ agency and they don’t answer quickly or it’s difficult to get a clear price you should choose a different DJ agency. DJ agencies who struggle to provide clear quotations or price ranges will be equally difficult to do business with. You are the client and they are the service provider so make sure you work with an agency like us that truly cares about customer service.

4. Accreditation, Insurance and Reputation: Make sure you book a DJ who is qualified to handle professional DJ equipment and sound systems. All our DJs are accredited by LSA. Your DJs should also have Public Liability insurance and a good reputation for being reliable.

5. Contracts: Once you've selected a DJ, ensure all details, including the cost and payment terms, are clearly outlined in a written contract.

DJ fees in London depend on many factors. Make sure you follow the advice in this blog before booking a DJ for your event in London.

If you’re looking for a DJ agency to provide a qualified and professional DJ who will rock your dance floor get in touch with us by clicking here.