One thing people look forward to every summer is the variety of outdoor festivals their city has to offer. Whether featuring beer, wine, ribs, music, poutine, or culture, there is sure to be a festival that appeals to everyone. Planning one of these highly sought-after outdoor festivals, on the other hand, can be a bit of a daunting task. That’s why we’re here! Check out our top 9 tips for executing a flawless outdoor festival this summer.
1. Permits
The last thing you want on the day of your event is someone questioning whether or not you have the appropriate permits. Is your event 19+ or all ages? Are you planning on having a beer tent? Make sure you have your licenses in place. If you’re providing parking options, ensuring parking permits are available for staff is also a necessity to ensure things run flawlessly.
2. Ordinances
Hosting an outdoor festival comes with its own variety of challenges. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the ordinances of the neighbourhood the event is being hosted in, and give potential residences nearby notice of the event prior to event day.
3. Food
Are guests allowed to bring food into your event? Are you having vendors? Do your vendors have permits? Are they bringing their own tents or do you have to provide vendor set-up? Being able to answer these questions will help you prepare for event day. Another thing to consider? Don’t put your food vendors within close proximity to your bathrooms.
4. Bathrooms
Ensuring you have enough bathrooms on site for your guests and staff is imperative for ensuring your outdoor festival goes off without a hitch. Be sure to have portable hand washing stations and garbage disposal containers nearby as well. As for where to put them, refer to the previous point.
5. Power
Do your vendors require power? Do you have musical guests who will be requiring a light show, plug ins for amps, etc? Are you taking on the responsibility or hiring an events company to set up and tear down? Be sure to have vendors and special guests fill out information involving their needs so you aren’t left unprepared the day of.
6. Logistics and Layout
Prior to the day of the event it’s important to establish where the entrance for the public will be, the location of your vendors, parking, bathrooms, and an entrance for any special guests. Also be sure to map out emergency routes and fire extinguishers should you need them.
7. Communication
Be sure to have one person on hand to be the ‘project manager’ for vendors, event rental and special guests who may have any questions the day of the event. Walkie talkies and head sets are a great way to stay in touch with each other. Be sure to test the range prior to the event day.
8. Rain or Shine
Is your event happening rain or shine? Consider investing in canopies or tents to provide guests with coverage should it start to rain. Tents and canopies can also provide guests with shade if your event falls on a particularly sunny day and your venue doesn’t have a lot of trees.
9. Clean up
One of the benefits of hiring an events company is they typically will come and set up and install your AV equipment, lights, tents, canopies, and bathrooms, and then return after the event is over to take everything down. This can save you a lot of time and stress, which is something we recommend looking into. Feel free to check out our selection, here.
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.