32 million Americans attend at least one music festival per year – and that figure doesn’t even include the thousands of film, food, and community festivals.

For the organizers, each and every one of those festivals requires extensive planning and preparation. An often overlooked part of that planning and preparation are portable potties.

An imperative component of any successful festival, the earlier you start thinking about porta potty rentals, the better. Before you order anything else, learn how to rent portable potties in this quick guide.

 

Determining How Many Portable Potties You Need

 

There is no one-size-fits-all rule for how many portable potties are needed at a festival. To determine how many porta potty rentals you’ll need, you should start with a rough idea of how many people are attending. You can get a good idea of that number by looking at the number of tickets that have been sold.

You’ll also want to think about how long the event is. Of course, the longer the event, the more portable toilet rentals you’re going to require. That’s especially true if the festival event will have alcohol or food, which generally requires 15%-25% more toilets.

Another item to consider in figuring out how many porta john rentals you’ll need is who is attending the event. A crowd of senior citizens will likely require more toilets than one with an adolescent crowd, for example. And if disabled people are expected to attend, then you’ll need to think about larger, wheelchair accessible toilets.

Finally, the number of portable potties you’ll need will depend on how large of an area the festival event covers. If the event covers a large area then you may need to think about multiple porta potty access points. This will stop people from having to travel across the grounds to use the bathroom and also minimize lines.

Choosing the Type of Porta John Rental

There isn’t one type of porta potty rental. Indeed, there is a variety of types of portable potties to choose from, including:

  • Standard units. The most economical option, these can handle your most basic toilet needs at an affordable price.
  • Standard units with a sink. This is an upgrade from a standard unit because it includes a sink. The sink is pump-operated and the unit comes with soap and paper towel.
  • Wheelchair accessible units. These portable potties are large enough to accommodate a wheelchair and typically have a ramp to make the unit accessible. They should be ADA compliant.

There are also options like having hand sanitizers installed in the units of your choice. You might also consider a hand washing station that’s completely separate from the porta john units themselves. Luxury units might be an option depending on the type of festival you’re holding and the expectations of your guests.

Where to Place a Portable Bathroom Rental

Porta johns should not block emergency equipment or fire hydrants. Doing so can result in a fine. Similarily, you should make sure you have permits to setup porta potty rentals or you could be fined by your city.

 

The units should be placed on dry and level ground. Whether you place them on grass or on paved surface is up to you. Keep in mind that if ground gets wet and muddy, that can create a mess inside the units that can lead to slips and falls.

Ready to Rent a Porta Potty?

Portable potties are an absolute must at a festival event. But how many you need, what type, and where to place them is dependent on the details of your specific festival. 

When you’re ready to start looking at costs, contact us first.