/ Regulations Governing Mass Events Have a Set Enforcement Date

On November 28, 2025, new regulations will come into effect that will significantly impact organizers of mass events in Chile. These rules, aimed at improving the safety and management of such events, establish a set of obligations for organizers, including the requirement to have a detailed security plan and to follow an authorization procedure before the corresponding Regional Presidential Delegation.

Jaime Urzúa

Associate

Law 21,659 on Private Security (LSP), enacted on March 21, 2024, regulates private security activities in the country with the goal of protecting people, property, and productive processes. It includes a specific chapter on mass events, which until now had been regulated inconsistently by each Regional Presidential Delegation. Additionally, on February 14, 2025, the Mass Events Regulation (REM) was published to complement that chapter in the LSP.

The new legislation provides definitions such as “mass event” and differentiates between the organizer, the production company, the venue owner or administrator, and the security officer for such events, assigning each distinct roles and responsibilities.

Events that will fall under the “mass event” category are those scheduled happenings that may result in large gatherings of attendees to participate in activities, performances, or exhibitions of any kind. Two criteria are considered to determine whether an event is “massive”: (1) number of attendees (more than 3,000 people), and (2) risk factors inherent to the event, even if the attendee count is lower (e.g., potential harm to individuals or property, threats to safety or public order, or when held in locations not permanently designated for such events).

Excluded from this classification are regular activities carried out by food and entertainment establishments, such as theaters, cinemas, bars, nightclubs, or restaurants, in accordance with their commercial licenses (unless they meet the mass event criteria). Also excluded are professional football matches and other sporting events, except in cases where their governing rules lack explicit provisions, in which case the LSP applies.

The LSP introduces a new set of obligations for mass event organizers, including an authorization procedure that must be handled through the relevant Regional Presidential Delegation. Specifically, organizers are required to have a security plan for the event, which must outline the various security measures to be implemented during its execution (such as attendee control and identification, risk and accident prevention, among others).

It is worth noting that the LSP introduces a new case of legal joint liability between organizers and producers when damage occurs during mass events.

The Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention will oversee the Private Security Registry, which will include a sub-registry for mass events. This registry must include regular event organizers, venues commonly used for mass events, and standard security plans.

The LSP and its regulations will come into force on November 28, 2025.