SJM Concerts granted Knebworth licence

SJM Concerts has secured a premises licence for Knebworth House, reopening one of Britain’s most symbolic concert sites to large-scale shows and reviving speculation about Oasis’s next move. North Hertfordshire Council granted the licence with immediate effect, according to reports published on August 6, and the approval remains in place indefinitely. The licence does not name any artist or event. (faroutmagazine.co.uk) It arrives days before the 30th anniversary of Oasis’s August 1996 Knebworth concerts, which fixed the venue in British rock history. (msn.com) ### What exactly has SJM been granted? North Hertfordshire Council granted SJM Concerts a premises licence for Knebworth House that allows the promoter to stage events at the Hertfordshire site indefinitely, according to BBC-cited reports carried on August 6. The approval covers crowds of up to 125,000 people at a time. Live music under the licence can run until 3 a.m., according to Far Out and NME, both citing the council approval. Local coverage of the application also said the operating schedule included requests covering live music, filming, late-night refreshment and alcohol. (yahoo.com) ### Why is Knebworth the venue everyone is talking about? Knebworth House is tied to Oasis because the band’s August 1996 shows there became defining Britpop-era events. Sky News said an estimated 2.5 million people applied for tickets to those concerts. (yahoo.com) August 10, 2026, is 30 years since those Oasis performances, a timing several reports highlighted as the licence became public. The BBC-based reports said the approval landed just days before that anniversary. (faroutmagazine.co.uk) ### Does the licence mean Oasis are booked? No artist has been named in the licence reporting, and SJM Concerts and Knebworth House were asked what events are planned, Yahoo reported. The application itself, as described in local and national reports, does not identify a performer. (news.sky.com) SJM’s role is what has driven the Oasis link. The promoter worked on Oasis’s 2025 reunion tour, and multiple outlets said that connection is why the council approval immediately fed rumors of a return. Rolling Stone UK said the licence emerged amid reports that the band could announce major 2027 UK and European dates. (msn.com) ### What about those earlier reports of multiple Knebworth dates? Far Out said earlier claims that Oasis would play five Knebworth shows in 2026 were wrong. (yahoo.com) The outlet said comments from local officials that had fueled those stories were later described as hypothetical rather than based on direct knowledge of confirmed plans. That distinction matters because the current development is a venue and licensing approval, not a tour announcement. The licence creates the legal framework for major events at Knebworth, but the reporting so far stops short of confirming any Oasis booking. (rollingstone.co.uk) ### Has Knebworth hosted major shows recently? Iron Maiden played Knebworth on July 10, 2026, in what Far Out described as the venue’s first concert in four years. North Herts Council documents published in July also recorded complaints from councillors about traffic disruption linked to that event. (faroutmagazine.co.uk) Those council papers do not relate directly to the SJM licence, but they show Knebworth is already back in use as a large-event site. The local authority’s licensing pages also say premises licences are required for regulated entertainment at specific locations. (yahoo.com) ### What happens next? August 10 is the next fixed date in the story because it marks the 30th anniversary of Oasis’s Knebworth shows. Any further step would be a named event announcement from SJM Concerts, Knebworth House or the band, but as of August 6 none had been made public in the reporting around the licence. (faroutmagazine.co.uk) (msn.com) (north-herts.gov.uk)