How to Plan a Community Festival or Town Days: An Infrastructure and Equipment Checklist

Where Should You Start When Organising a Town Days Celebration or a Community Festival?

The best way to start planning a large outdoor event is with two things: a site map and an equipment booking schedule. Without them, your equipment list will be incomplete because you will not know how much infrastructure is needed or when it should be delivered.

Event Zones – How Should You Divide the Site?

The festival grounds should be divided into logical functional zones before any equipment is ordered. A typical layout includes a main stage with an audience area, a food zone, a retail and exhibition area, a children’s zone, a sponsor area, and technical and sanitary facilities. Each zone has different requirements, including different types of shelter, signage, and furniture.

A well-planned site layout also helps manage visitor flow and prevents congestion. At the planning stage, it is worth identifying the main pedestrian routes and the areas where visitors are most likely to gather. These are the locations where the largest covered areas and the most visible signage should be placed.

Equipment Purchasing and Booking Schedule

According to guidelines for organisers of public events, it is recommended to start reserving equipment and infrastructure at least 6–8 weeks before the event. This applies especially to event tents, banquet furniture, and technical equipment, which are in high demand during the summer season (from May to September).

For printed equipment, such as promotional tents, flags, or backdrop walls, the production time is usually 7–14 working days. It is worth planning this process with some extra time to allow for any design adjustments or corrections.

Shelters and Infrastructure – The Foundation of Every Outdoor Festival

Shelters are the first and most important category on the event equipment list. Without suitable tents, there are no food areas, exhibitor stands, or information points. At family and community festivals, it is standard practice to provide covered areas for every functional zone, from catering areas to children’s activity spaces.

Promotional Tents for Exhibitors and Sponsors

Event tents serve a dual purpose at festivals:

• functional – they protect exhibitors and participants from sun or rain,
• branding-related – every printed tent becomes an advertising surface visible from several dozen metres away.

For organisers, this creates an opportunity to offer sponsors advertising space as part of a stand package.

For Town Days celebrations, it is worth preparing tents in several sizes: smaller ones (3 × 3 m) for individual exhibitors and non-governmental organisations, and larger ones (3 × 6 m or 4 × 4 m) for main sponsors and food zones. A consistent colour scheme or a shared graphic element across all organiser tents gives the event a cohesive and professional appearance.

Pop-Up Tents for Food and Retail Stands

A pop-up tent is the most popular choice among outdoor event organisers, and for good reason. The scissor-frame construction can be set up within minutes without tools, which is crucial when several dozen stands need to be installed at the same time during one morning.

Printed pop-up tents are available in sizes ranging from 1.5 × 1.5 m up to 6 × 6 m, allowing the stand space to be tailored to the needs of each exhibitor. For food service areas, 3 × 6 m or 4 × 4 m models work particularly well, providing enough space for a food serving point and several guest tables. For NGO exhibitors or local craft stands, the most popular 3 × 3 m format is usually sufficient.

As highlighted in guides on choosing promotional tents for events and trade shows, the key selection criteria include the quality of the aluminium frame, the canopy material, and the available customisation options for printed graphics.

Star Tent – An Eye-Catching Focal Point at the Festival Site

If you are looking for one element that will give your festival a distinctive character and be visible from a distance, a star tent is the right choice. Its unique silhouette stands out from standard pop-up tents and naturally attracts the attention of event participants. It is a format that people remember.

Jehlan star tents work well as VIP areas, the organiser’s main pavilion, an information point, or a space for the main sponsor. Available in diameters ranging from 10 to 16 m, they can be installed in approximately 30 minutes. The printed roof canopy provides strong visual exposure that can be seen from a great distance, which is a real advantage for sponsors at outdoor events.

Which Tent Should You Choose for Town Days – a Pop-Up Tent or a Star Tent?

This is one of the most common questions asked by festival organisers before the season begins. The answer depends on the function the tent is meant to serve and the overall scale of the event.

When is a Pop-Up Tent the Right Choice?

A pop-up tent is the best option when you need a large number of uniform exhibitor stands, quick installation without a specialised technical team, and full flexibility in arranging the event space. Two people can set it up in 60 seconds. It is a practical solution for organisers managing several or several dozen stands at the same time, or for events where exhibitors set up their own tents independently.

Another advantage is cost efficiency: a pop-up tent is one of the most effective formats in terms of advertising space per square metre. A comparison of event tent types shows that, for most festival and trade show applications, a pop-up tent provides the best balance between functionality and cost.

When Should You Choose a Star Tent (Jehlan)?

Choose a star tent when visual impact and a unique space are the priority: a premium zone, the organiser’s main pavilion, or the central point of the entire festival layout. Installation requires slightly more time and space than a pop-up tent, but the visual effect is difficult to achieve with any other solution.

It is also worth considering a combination of both types: Jehlan star tents as eye-catching focal points near the stage or VIP area, and pop-up tents as a consistent infrastructure solution for exhibitor stands.

Signage, Navigation, and Brand Visibility at a Festival

Equipment is not everything. Even a well-equipped festival can feel chaotic without proper signage, as participants may not know where the stage is, where to find food, or where the children’s zone is located.

Promotional Flags as an Orientation and Decorative System

Promotional flags are one of the most effective navigation tools at large outdoor events. As visual communication specialists point out, the movement of a flag in the wind attracts attention much more effectively than a static banner, and the message reaches participants even when they are not actively looking for it. Printed promotional flags can be used in many ways: as markers for festival entrances, identifiers for individual zones, decorative elements along pedestrian routes, or advertising displays for sponsors. Sail-shaped and feather-shaped flags are particularly visible from a distance and perform well in windy conditions typical of open spaces. For a community festival, it is worth planning a minimum of 5–15 flags in different sizes.

Advertising Barriers, Banners, and Backdrop Walls

Flags can be complemented by advertising barriers – mobile printed fencing systems that are useful for defining zones, securing the stage area, or separating the children’s zone from other parts of the event. Stretch banners and promotional backdrop walls are solutions designed for sponsors who need additional visibility near the stage or in the VIP area.

What Should Be Included in a Complete Festival Equipment Checklist?

In addition to tent infrastructure and signage, a community festival requires many additional elements. Below you will find an overview of the key categories.

Event Furniture and Relaxation Areas

• Beer garden sets (tables + benches) – for catering areas and public seating zones
• Folding chairs – for the space in front of the stage and information points
• Promotional deck chairs – optional, for relaxation areas or VIP zones
• Trade counters – for information points and ticket/payment stations

Event furniture is worth ordering with the organiser’s or main sponsor’s logo printed on it. It is an affordable way to create a consistent visual identity and provide additional advertising space that works throughout the entire day. Check out our promotional furniture.

Technical Equipment and Safety Measures

• Sound system and stage lighting – essential for the main stage and performances
• Power generators or access to electrical connections – to ensure a reliable power supply for all event infrastructure
• First aid point with trained medical staff – to provide quick assistance in case of emergencies
• Portable toilets – for all-day outdoor events, a recommended standard is 1 toilet unit per 50–75 participants
• Waste containers with waste separation – to maintain cleanliness and support proper waste management during the event

Visual Identity – How to Create a Consistent Event Image?

A professionally organised community festival is not only about good logistics but also about a consistent visual identity. It determines whether the event is remembered as a representative celebration of the municipality and an event worth attending again the following year.

Customisation and Printing on Organiser Equipment

Promotional tents printed with the municipality logo or event name, flags in city colours, and a consistent colour scheme across all elements are an investment that pays off through positive feedback from participants and local media.

Customised equipment is also less prone to mistakes during setup – everyone can immediately identify which stand belongs to whom.

Tip: When ordering printed graphics, it is worth using a free visualisation before production to evaluate the final result on a specific tent model and make any necessary adjustments.

Sponsor Zone – What Should You Prepare for Exhibitors?

Sponsors and exhibitors usually expect a ready-to-use space: a pop-up tent in the right size, access to electricity, and a consistent surrounding environment. It is worth preparing stand packages in several variants, for example a small one (3x3 m with one trade counter) and a large one (3x6 m with a complete beer garden set), which makes it easier to sell advertising space and eliminates chaos during the setup stage.

Zaplanuj festyn z odpowiednim sprzętem

Udany festyn gminny to suma dobrze zaplanowanej infrastruktury, sprawnej logistyki i spójnego wizerunku. Namioty reklamowe tworzą szkielet przestrzenny wydarzenia, namiot ekspresowy zapewnia sprawną obsługę stoisk wystawców, namiot gwiazda nadaje festynowi charakter i efektowną dominantę, a flagi reklamowe pomagają uczestnikom sprawnie poruszać się po terenie. Reszta listy, jak meble, sprzęt techniczny, oznakowanie uzupełniające, to elementy, które całość finalizują.