Festival Toilet Hire Guide

Festival Toilet Hire Guide

Toilets may not be the most exciting part of organising a festival, but they are one of the most important. Provide too few, place them badly or fail to service them often enough and guests will remember the queues, smells and overflowing units long after they have forgotten the headline act.

Good festival toilet planning protects public health, improves accessibility, supports staff welfare and helps your event run smoothly. It can also affect whether your plans are accepted by the landowner, local authority, licensing team or Safety Advisory Group.

This guide explains how to estimate the number of toilets you need, which facilities to hire, where to put them, how often to service them and when showers may be necessary. It is written for festivals in the UK, although requirements and local authority expectations can vary between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

How Many Toilets Does a Festival Need?

There is no single number that works for every festival. Your toilet requirement depends on:

• The maximum number of people on site
• The expected gender mix
• The length of the event
• Whether guests are camping
• The amount of food and alcohol being served
• The number of staff, traders, performers and contractors
• Whether existing permanent toilets are available
• The opening and closing times
• The number of accessible facilities required
• How often the toilets can be cleaned and emptied

The current Purple Guide Lite provides a useful starting point for a typical local event:

These figures are planning guidelines rather than a universal legal minimum. The Purple Guide’s sanitation guidance also says that suitable hand-washing facilities or hand sanitiser should be provided.

For events lasting six hours or more, one commonly used local-authority benchmark is one toilet per 100 female attendees, plus one toilet per 500 male attendees and one urinal per 150 male attendees. Shorter events may sometimes justify a lower provision, but only after considering alcohol, food, attendance patterns and servicing. Pembrokeshire County Council’s event guidance provides an example of these duration-based ratios.

Treat every calculation as a starting point. If your festival has bars, campsites or long opening hours, adding more units is usually far cheaper than trying to recover from inadequate provision during the event.

A Practical Toilet Calculation Example

Imagine you are planning a one-day festival for 2,000 people, with an estimated audience split of 1,100 women and 900 men.

Using the Purple Guide Lite starting ratios:

• 1,100 female attendees ÷ 100 = 11 toilets
• 900 male attendees ÷ 500 = 1.8, rounded up to 2 toilets
• 900 male attendees ÷ 150 = 6 urinal spaces
• At least one dedicated accessible toilet

This produces an initial estimate of 13 toilets, six urinal spaces and accessible provision.

However, you should then consider the nature of the event. If alcohol will be served throughout a ten-hour programme, 13 toilets may not provide enough resilience. You may need additional units, more accessible toilets and at least one scheduled service or pump-out.

Always round calculations up, not down. You should also allow for temporary closures caused by cleaning, damage or blockages.

Your supplier should help you refine the calculation. Give them an honest estimate of attendance, operating hours, alcohol sales, camping numbers and servicing access. An experienced festival toilet hire company will usually spot problems that are easy to miss on a first site plan.

Factors That Increase the Number of Toilets Required

Alcohol

Alcohol significantly increases toilet use. It can also lead to more spillages, vandalism, blocked toilets and units running out of paper or sanitiser.

If your festival has several bars or alcohol is a major part of the event, increase capacity and arrange more frequent servicing. Place sufficient facilities near bar areas, but not so close that queues obstruct serving points, emergency routes or pedestrian flows.

Food and Drink

Food and non-alcoholic drinks also increase toilet demand. Festivals with a large number of caterers need proper hand-washing arrangements for food workers as well as facilities for guests.

Do not assume that a bottle of hand sanitiser is a complete replacement for washing with soap and water. Caterers may need dedicated facilities that meet the requirements of the local authority’s environmental health team.

Event Duration

A four-hour community festival and a three-day camping festival have completely different requirements. Longer events need more capacity, cleaning visits, restocking and waste removal.

For multi-day festivals, your plan should explain:

• When each toilet area will be inspected
• How often units will be cleaned
• When tanks will be emptied
• Who will replenish toilet paper, soap and sanitiser
• How faults will be reported
• How quickly unusable units will be replaced or repaired
• How service vehicles will reach the toilets in wet weather

Peak Attendance

Calculate provision using the maximum number of people who may be on site at one time, not just the number of tickets sold for a particular session.

Remember to include staff, volunteers, performers, security teams, caterers, contractors, traders and guests. At a camping festival, some people may remain on site even when the entertainment arena is closed.

You should also consider peak-use periods, such as:

• Immediately after gates open
• Between major performances
• When a headline act finishes
• At bar closing time
• First thing in the morning at campsites
• During breaks in scheduled activities

Several smaller toilet banks can manage these peaks more effectively than one very large toilet area.

What Types of Festival Toilets Can You Hire?

Standard Portable Toilets

Standard portable toilets, commonly called portaloos, are the usual choice for general admission areas and campsites. They are self-contained, economical and can be installed without a mains sewer connection.

Before booking, ask whether the price includes:

• Delivery and collection
• Toilet paper and consumables
• Initial setup
• Cleaning
• Waste removal
• Emergency call-outs
• Damage waivers
• Weekend servicing
• VAT

The lowest hire price is not always the lowest final cost. A cheap unit with no event-day servicing can become an expensive operational problem.

Mains-Connected Toilets

If suitable water, sewer and power connections are available, mains-connected toilets can provide a more permanent experience. They may be appropriate for longer festivals, VIP areas or established showgrounds.

A supplier should survey the site before confirming that a connection is suitable. Never discharge toilet waste into a surface-water drain, field or watercourse.

Luxury Toilet Trailers

Luxury toilet trailers usually include flushing toilets, proper basins, mirrors, lighting and higher-quality interiors. They are popular for VIP areas, hospitality spaces, weddings within festivals, performer compounds and glamping sites.

They normally require level ground, vehicle access and connections for power, water and waste. Check the supplier’s technical requirements before finalising your layout.

Urinals

Urinals can reduce pressure on standard toilets and shorten queues. Options include individual portable urinals, trough units and multi-user stations.

Place them in a screened, well-lit area that protects users’ privacy. They must be serviced and cleaned just as carefully as enclosed toilets.

Accessible Toilets

Every festival should plan for disabled attendees, staff and performers. At least one dedicated accessible toilet is a common minimum starting point, but one unit may be clearly insufficient at a large or spread-out event.

Accessible toilets should be:

• Located on firm, level and step-free ground
• Positioned close to accessible viewing, camping and parking areas
• Distributed around the site where practical
• Clearly signposted
• Kept unlocked and available
• Large enough for the intended users
• Provided with suitable grab rails and internal space
• Included in the inspection and cleaning schedule

Do not place an accessible toilet on grass that becomes impassable to wheelchair users when it rains. An accessible unit at the top of a steep slope or behind a cable ramp is not meaningfully accessible.

Some guests require a Changing Places facility with additional space, an adult-sized changing bench and a hoist. This is not the same as a standard accessible portable toilet. Consider your audience, venue and local authority expectations, and advertise the facilities accurately so guests can plan ahead.

Gender-Neutral and Family Facilities

Self-contained, lockable portable toilets can be designated as gender-neutral facilities. Clear signage helps guests find the most suitable toilet without confusion.

Family toilets or larger units with baby-changing facilities are useful at community and family festivals. Provide sanitary bins wherever they may be needed, including in accessible and gender-neutral toilets.

Legal and Regulatory Requirements

Festival organisers sometimes ask for the legally required number of toilets. The important point is that UK law does not set one simple attendee-to-toilet ratio covering every type of festival.

Instead, organisers have a combination of health and safety, workplace welfare, accessibility, environmental, licensing and public-health responsibilities. Guidance such as the Purple Guide helps organisers demonstrate that they have planned reasonably, but the final requirement may be influenced by the local authority, licence conditions and the event’s risk assessment.

Health and Safety Duties

Festival organisers must assess and manage reasonably foreseeable risks arising from the event. Toilet-related risks can include poor hygiene, slips, inadequate lighting, inaccessible facilities, unsafe vehicle movements during servicing and exposure to sewage.

Record toilet and sanitation arrangements in your event management plan and risk assessments. Identify who is responsible for inspections, cleaning, waste removal and emergency action.

HSE notes that audience toilets and several other public-welfare matters are generally covered by powers held by local or other government bodies rather than being solely an HSE responsibility. Organisers should therefore speak to the relevant council and, where one is involved, the event’s Safety Advisory Group. See the HSE event-safety guidance for further information.

Toilets for Staff and Workers

Your guests are not the only people who need facilities. Employers must provide suitable toilets and washing facilities for workers, including disabled workers.

HSE guidance says workplace facilities should include enough toilets and washbasins, adequate lighting and ventilation, toilet paper, soap, running water and a suitable method of drying hands. Separate male and female facilities are normally expected unless each toilet is in a separate room that can be locked from the inside. Facilities must be clean, and sanitary-disposal arrangements should be provided.

For temporary workplaces, portable or chemical toilets may be used where flushing toilets and running water cannot reasonably be installed. Relying on public toilets simply because it is cheaper is unlikely to be acceptable when suitable on-site facilities can be provided. Full details are available in the HSE workplace toilet and washing-facility guidance.

It is good practice to provide separate staff, performer and contractor toilets, particularly in secure backstage, production and catering areas. This stops essential workers being trapped in long public queues.

Accessibility and the Equality Act

In Great Britain, festival organisers and service providers must consider their duties under the Equality Act 2010. This includes anticipating barriers experienced by disabled people and making reasonable adjustments.

The right solution depends on the event, but may involve accessible toilets, step-free routes, suitable signage, accessible showers, appropriate lighting and facilities close to accessible campsites or viewing platforms. Northern Ireland has different equality legislation, so organisers there should obtain location-specific advice.

Accessibility should be built into the initial layout rather than added after every other space has been allocated.

Licensing and Local Authority Conditions

Depending on the activities taking place, your festival may need a premises licence or Temporary Event Notice. A Temporary Event Notice is generally intended for smaller events, while larger festivals and sites offering ongoing licensable activities will normally need the appropriate premises authorisation.

The licensing authority, environmental health team, landowner or Safety Advisory Group may ask for details including:

• Toilet numbers and calculations
• Accessible provision
• Locations shown on the site plan
• Hand-washing arrangements
• Cleaning schedules
• Waste-removal arrangements
• Contractor contact details
• Drinking-water provision
• Contingency arrangements

Contact the local authority early. Do not order toilets first and ask about licence conditions afterwards.

Waste and Sewage Disposal

Festival toilet waste must be handled and disposed of lawfully. Use an established supplier that can explain where the waste will go and how it will be transported.

For business waste in England, organisers have a duty to store waste safely, use an appropriately registered carrier and retain the required documentation. Different regulators apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The GOV.UK commercial-waste guidance explains these responsibilities and links to the relevant national regulators.

Your contract should make clear that sewage will be taken to an authorised disposal facility. Keep relevant service and waste records with your event documentation.

Where Should Festival Toilets Be Positioned?

A toilet can only help if people can find and reach it. Spread toilet banks around the site rather than placing every unit in one distant corner.

Useful locations include:

• Near main audience areas
• Close to food and bar zones, without obstructing them
• Near campsites and campervan fields
• Beside accessible viewing and camping areas
• Near entrances and exits
• In staff, backstage and production compounds
• Near coach parks or queueing areas where people may wait for long periods

Toilet areas should be visible and clearly signposted but separated from food preparation, drinking-water points and wells or watercourses. Your local environmental health team or water supplier may specify suitable separation distances based on the site.

Choose firm, level ground. Avoid flood-prone areas, steep slopes, soft verges and locations where units could become unstable. Consider using tracking or temporary pathways if the route may become muddy.

Service vehicles need safe access before, during and after the festival. Plan a route that does not take tankers through dense crowds. If servicing must happen while the site is open, schedule it for quiet periods and manage the movement with trained staff.

Do not block fire lanes, evacuation routes, emergency exits or access for ambulances and fire appliances.

Lighting, Security and Safety

Toilet areas must remain safe after dark. Provide sufficient lighting inside units, around entrances and along approach routes. Check temporary electrical equipment and protect cables from damage and trip hazards.

Avoid hidden corners and isolated routes. Consider steward patrols, particularly at night and near campsites. Good visibility can discourage vandalism, harassment and antisocial behaviour while making guests feel safer.

Each unit should be stable, lockable and checked for damage. High winds, saturated ground or deliberate interference can make poorly installed toilets unsafe, so include them in severe-weather inspections.

Hand-Washing and Hygiene

At a minimum, guests need reliable access to soap and water or suitable hand-sanitising facilities. For larger or longer festivals, dedicated hand-washing stations are much better than relying only on small dispensers inside toilets.

Provide enough stations to prevent hand-washing queues from blocking toilet doors. They should be refilled, cleaned and inspected throughout the event.

Your sanitation supplies may include:

• Liquid soap
• Running or stored clean water
• Paper towels or suitable dryers
• Hand sanitiser
• Toilet paper
• Sanitary bins
• Waste bins
• Cleaning chemicals
• Personal protective equipment for cleaning staff
• Spill kits and disinfectant

Cleaning chemicals must be stored securely and used by trained staff in accordance with their instructions and risk assessments.

How Often Should Festival Toilets Be Serviced?

Servicing frequency depends on tank capacity, attendance and usage. A toilet that is adequate for a private party may fill quickly at a busy festival bar.

For a single-day event, arrange pre-opening checks, regular inspections during the day and a final check after closing. Long events may require one or more pump-outs while guests are present.

Multi-day festivals normally need a planned daily cleaning and emptying programme, with extra attention given to busy areas.

An inspection log should record:

• Time of inspection
• Name or initials of the inspector
• Cleanliness
• Waste level
• Toilet-paper supply
• Soap, water or sanitiser supply
• Lighting condition
• Damage or blockages
• Action taken

Provide a telephone or radio contact for urgent issues. If one toilet bank becomes unusable, signs and stewards should direct guests to the nearest alternative.

Do Festivals Need Showers?

Showers are not normally necessary for a short, single-day public event. They become much more important when people are camping, working long shifts or staying on site for several days.

Consider showers for:

• Weekend and multi-day campers
• Glamping guests
• Performers
• Production crews
• Security and stewards
• Catering workers
• Staff doing dirty or physically demanding work
• Accessible campsites

Your shower calculation should consider the number of overnight guests, opening hours, peak morning demand and the flow rate of each shower.

There is no single universal public shower ratio for every festival. Ask potential suppliers to model demand using your camping population and planned operating hours. Extending shower opening times can reduce peak queues, but only if cleaning, lighting, security and hot-water supplies can also be maintained.

What Do Portable Showers Require?

Portable shower blocks may need:

• A reliable clean-water supply
• Water storage tanks
• Pumps
• Electrical or generator power
• Fuel for water heating
• Wastewater tanks or an approved drainage connection
• Level, load-bearing ground
• Lighting and ventilation
• Non-slip flooring
• Privacy screens
• Changing space
• Regular cleaning
• Safe vehicle access

Never allow grey water from showers to run directly across a field, footpath or campsite. It can create muddy conditions, slip hazards, smells and pollution. Agree the wastewater collection and disposal method before hiring the units.

Provide accessible showers where appropriate. A genuinely accessible shower may need level access, sufficient turning space, grab rails, a seat, an adjustable shower head and a suitable changing area. Confirm the exact specification rather than assuming any large cubicle is accessible.

Questions to Ask a Festival Toilet Hire Company

Before accepting a quotation, ask:

1. How many toilets do you recommend for our attendance and event type?
2. What assumptions have you used in the calculation?
3. Are accessible toilets, urinals and hand-washing stations available?
4. Do you provide portable showers?
5. Is delivery, setup and collection included?
6. How much level access does each vehicle require?
7. What water, power and drainage connections are needed?
8. How often will the units be cleaned and emptied?
9. Can you provide attendants during the event?
10. What happens if a unit is damaged or fills early?
11. Is emergency servicing available outside normal hours?
12. Who supplies toilet paper, soap and sanitiser?
13. How is sewage transported and disposed of?
14. What insurance does the supplier hold?
15. What additional charges might apply for difficult access, waiting time or weekend work?
16. What happens if severe weather prevents collection immediately after the event?

Ask for all agreed services in writing. The contract should identify delivery dates, collection windows, quantities, service visits, responsibilities, cancellation terms and additional charges.

Festival Toilet Planning Timeline

Six to Twelve Months Before

Estimate attendance, identify camping requirements and speak to the local authority. Add toilet areas, showers, water points and service routes to the first site plan. Obtain initial quotations, especially if the festival takes place during the busy summer season.

Three to Six Months Before

Confirm the toilet calculation, unit types and accessible provision. Coordinate with the licensing team, environmental health officers and Safety Advisory Group where applicable. Book the supplier and agree servicing arrangements.

One Month Before

Provide the supplier with the final site plan, access instructions and event timetable. Confirm water, power and drainage arrangements. Nominate the person responsible for sanitation during the festival.

One Week Before

Check expected attendance and weather conditions. Confirm delivery times, emergency numbers, consumables and tanker routes. Brief stewards and cleaning teams.

Before Gates Open

Inspect every toilet, shower and hand-washing station. Confirm that units are clean, stocked, stable, accessible, illuminated and correctly signposted. Make sure accessible facilities are unlocked and their routes are usable.

During and After the Festival

Keep inspection records, report faults promptly and monitor queues. After the event, supervise collection and check the site for spills, damage or waste. Retain relevant service and disposal documents with the event records.

Common Festival Toilet Mistakes

The most frequent problems are avoidable. They include:

• Ordering solely on ticket numbers without including staff
• Using a general ratio without accounting for alcohol or camping
• Providing only one toilet location
• Forgetting accessible toilets or placing them on unsuitable ground
• Failing to arrange event-day servicing
• Underestimating water and power requirements
• Blocking service access with barriers, stalls or parked vehicles
• Relying entirely on hand sanitiser
• Forgetting backstage and staff facilities
• Allowing shower wastewater to drain onto the ground
• Providing poor lighting or signage
• Assuming permanent venue toilets can handle the entire audience
• Booking too late for a summer festival

Build a sensible contingency into the plan. A few additional toilets, extra consumables and a responsive cleaning team can prevent a small problem from becoming a festival-wide complaint.

Final Festival Toilet Checklist

Before your festival opens, confirm that:

• The calculation is based on maximum site occupancy
• Alcohol, food, event length and camping have been considered
• Staff, contractors, traders and performers have been included
• Accessible toilets are available in suitable locations
• Family, gender-neutral and Changing Places provision has been considered
• Toilets are shown on the approved site plan
• Units are positioned on firm, level ground
• Emergency and evacuation routes remain clear
• Service vehicles have safe access
• Hand-washing facilities are stocked and working
• Lighting and signage are in place
• Cleaning and pump-out times are confirmed
• An inspection log is ready
• Emergency supplier contact details are available
• Waste and sewage disposal arrangements are documented
• Shower water, power and wastewater arrangements are confirmed
• Local-authority and licence conditions have been checked

Plan Early and Ask for Expert Advice

Successful festival sanitation is not simply a matter of ordering a row of portaloos. It requires a realistic capacity calculation, an accessible layout, reliable cleaning, lawful waste disposal and a contingency plan.

Start planning early and speak to your local authority, landowner and toilet hire supplier before finalising the site. For larger festivals, include detailed sanitation arrangements in your event management plan and seek competent health, safety, accessibility and environmental advice.

When toilets are plentiful, clean, easy to find and properly serviced, most guests will barely mention them—and that is usually the best sign that your planning has worked.

This article provides general UK information and should not be treated as legal advice. Requirements can vary according to the location, licence, venue, audience and scale of an event. Organisers should confirm their obligations with the relevant local authority and competent advisers.

Useful Links and Festival Planning Resources

The following resources provide further information about festival toilets, event safety, licensing, accessibility and waste management:

• The Purple Guide – Sanitation – UK event-industry guidance covering toilet numbers, accessible facilities, hand washing and sanitation planning. Please note that some detailed content requires a subscription.

• HSE – Event Safety – Health and Safety Executive guidance for event organisers, contractors, volunteers and venue operators.

• HSE – Workplace Toilets and Washing Facilities – Information about the toilets, washbasins and welfare facilities employers must provide for workers.

• GOV.UK – Temporary Event Notices – Explains when an event in England or Wales may require a Temporary Event Notice and the restrictions that apply.

• GOV.UK – Organising a Voluntary or Community Event – General guidance covering event permissions, insurance, safety, accessibility and planning.

• GOV.UK – Find Your Local Council – Find the relevant licensing, environmental health and event-safety teams for your festival location.

• GOV.UK – Commercial Waste Responsibilities – Guidance on storing, transferring and disposing of commercial waste lawfully.

• Environment Agency – Waste Carrier Register – Check whether a waste carrier is registered in England. Separate regulators cover Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• Drinking Water Inspectorate – Festivals and Temporary Events – Information about safe water supplies for festivals and temporary events.

• Changing Places Toilets – Information about facilities for people who cannot use a standard accessible toilet, including specifications and venue guidance.

• Met Office – UK Weather Forecasts – Forecasts that can help organisers assess ground conditions, toilet access routes, water demand and severe-weather arrangements.

Important: Requirements can vary according to an event’s location, size, activities and licence conditions. Organisers should confirm their plans with the relevant local authority and obtain specialist advice where necessary.