Proper Event Tent Weighting

Proper Event Tent Weighting: The Key to Festival Vendor Success

As an event producer, proper event tent weighting is the most overlooked thing by vendors. I’ve seen just about every way to weigh down a tent, including ways that do not work.  Tying the weight to the center of the tent may make sense to hold all 4 legs down, but actually creates more of a hazard once the wind forces the tent over. We’ve seen this time and time again, and cannot stress how important it is to weigh down each tent leg with a minimum of 35lbs or more for outdoor events.

Simple, affordable weights for your tent are readily available. You don’t need anything fancy, just something heavy. Then drape a table cloth, or other material over the weight to make your booth look VERY professional. Here are a few ways we’ve found that work in heavy wind:

Proper weight installation:
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Tube weights – Easy to build and transport, just buy the 2″ pipe from a hardware store and fill them full of sand, cap them:
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Buckets filled with Quikrete:
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Sand Bags – Available online:
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Water jugs (a hassle, but they work, gotta have a really long hose. ask your event producer if this is OK for the venue):
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Lower your tent legs at night to get even more protection.
A good rule of thumb is, read the email from the event producer with the load in instructions. Read your contract. A good event producer will put this information in one of those, and it’s up to you to follow the instructions. This will ensure that your tent doesn’t blow over and break, your product will still be on the table in the morning, and nobody gets hurt. Feel free to reach out to our vendors if you have any real-world questions. Have a great festival season!
Rusty Hoyle, Craft Nation
Putting People Before Profits
Small Business Helping Small Business