You’ve booked the talent. You’ve sold the tickets. You have even secured food vendors, parking, and stage setup, but have you thought through restrooms yet? Portable restrooms are often the part of event planning that gets put off the longest. Most event organizers don’t realize that their restroom setup can actually make or tank their event.
At Kerkstra, we’ve worked with festivals, concerts, and other large-scale events across Michigan and the Great Lakes region, making us potty experts. When event organizers understand how many of the right units to book and where to place them, they can leverage their restroom rentals to create an event advantage.
In this guide, we’ll cover:
- How to calculate how many portable restrooms your event needs
- Our three recommended restrooms
- Where to place units for the best guest flow
- Add-ons for compliance and attendee experience
- FAQs for event porta-potties
How Many Restrooms Does Your Event Actually Need?
This is one of the most common questions our customers ask. And it’s not as simple as the number of attendees your event expects. Securing enough portable restrooms depends on several factors beyond headcount.
Factors to consider when evaluating porta-potty demand:
- Event duration
- Food and drink service
- Alcohol service
- Size of event grounds
- Peak traffic times
- Number of attendees
Multi-day events or large grounds can increase demand for units to ensure restrooms are distributed throughout your event and can accommodate multiple trips per person.
For example, if your event is expected to have 5,000 attendees over a 10-hour day, with food and drink service, we’d recommend about 116 restroom units. Now, that may sound like a lot, but consider the alternative: overloaded tanks, long lines, and guests whose lasting memory of your event is waiting in line for a porta-potty.
When events are under-rented, not only do they cause discomfort for attendees, but they also pose a higher risk of odors when the tanks fill. From a revenue standpoint, the more time guests spend in line, the less likely they are to stop by concessions. The number of restrooms can affect the whole experience and your reputation.
Our team can help you work through the math. Use our porta-potty calculator to get a baseline number, then let’s talk through the specifics of your event.
Three Restroom Types and Where to Place Them
Not every part of your event has the same needs. The general admission crowd, your VIP section, and your backstage area each call for something different. Here are Kerkstra’s strategic restroom types and placements that have made a meaningful impact on the events we’ve serviced.
Your Scalable Workhorse: Standard Portable Restrooms
We will never stop saying this: Don’t underestimate the standard unit. It’s the backbone of any large-scale event and for good reason. Our standard portable restrooms are virtually unlimited in availability, which matters more than most people realize. When you’re coordinating 80, 100, or 150+ units for a major festival, you need a supplier who can actually deliver enough restrooms and has a backup plan if needed.
The Standard Units Include:
- Spacious interior cabin with non-slip flooring
- Coat hooks, a convenient shelf, and a 3-roll paper holder
- Hand sanitizer included
- Optional handwashing station add-on
For best potty placement:
General admission areas are where most events see their highest restroom usage. These areas include main stages, concession areas, parking lots, and ticket stands. When standard units are distributed across the grounds at these high-traffic points, they ensure every attendee has access to a restroom and help minimize long lines.
The VIP Upgrade: Luxury Restroom Trailers
An easy way to leverage your restroom rentals is by adding luxury restroom access to your VIP ticket package. This is an effective way to differentiate ticket tiers and drive higher-level purchases. Guests who’ve paid for the VIP experience expect it to feel different — and that includes their bathroom experience.
Our luxury restroom trailers include:
- Climate control
- Running water
- Real mirrors
- Flushable toilets
- A range of thoughtful interior design
- Different size options, including: One stall, two stalls, and up
For best potty placement:
A luxury restroom can be a strategic advantage when placed near VIP sections, bar areas, artist lounges, and backstage. They can also be used for performing artists to accommodate opening acts that don’t travel with their own bus or an on-site space to get ready.
Sustainability Forward Approach: Vacuum Restrooms
If you’re running a large, multi-day festival, vacuum restrooms are a sustainable portable restroom option. Kerkstra’s mobile vacuum restrooms use modular pods that connect to one another and can be scaled up as your event demands. A key standout is their significantly lower water use compared to traditional units, boosting your event’s sustainability and reducing overall costs.
The benefits go beyond the environment:
- Handles high-traffic events efficiently
- Odorless units
- Minimal maintenance
- No splash toilet zone
- Connects up to 50 units in one system
For best potty placement:
These units can be used strategically for general admission or VIP sections. When placed in high traffic areas, pair it with eco-conscious signage or position it as a sustainability sponsor. The innovative restrooms include premium amenities such as in-unit handwashing, zero odor, and splashless technology, making them a great resource to position as upscale for attendees.
General Potty Placement Strategy
Where you put your restrooms matters as much as how many you have. A cluster of 30 units in one corner of a 40-acre festival site doesn’t help the 20,000 people on the opposite end. Placement needs to follow your crowd and anticipate where they’ll be.
Kerkstra’s Placement Recommendations For Large Events
Distribute throughout the ground
For larger festivals, multiple placement clusters serve far more guests than one concentrated area. Think about it like any other service: you wouldn’t put all your water stations in one spot.
Cover the high-traffic zones
Entrances, exits, main stages, concessions, and parking lots should all have restroom access nearby. These are the places guests congregate, so it’s important to ensure easy access to facilities.
The perfect distance from concessions
Porta-potties need to be placed near popular areas, like concessions, for convenience, but placed away from direct food service. This way, attendees can spot nearby restrooms without any odor or potential contamination interfering with food vendors.
Service truck access
Every unit needs to be accessible for drop-off, pickup, and servicing during the event.
Add-Ons That Make a Real Difference
A few additions that consistently improve the guest experience and reduce congestion:
Handwashing Stations
Separate handwashing stations next to porta-potties keep restroom lines moving. When guests can wash their hands outside the unit, you reduce the time each person spends inside.
Hand Sanitizer Stations
Including a quick and accessible way for attendees to sanitize is best practice for any large-scale event. We recommend placing them near concessions, entrances, and high-traffic walkways.
Handicap Accessible Units
All public events must have at least one ADA-accessible restroom. Additional units may be needed for compliance based on your venue regulations, event size, and local ordinance requirements.
Shower Trailers
Shower trailers are a popular amenity for multi-day festivals with camping. Guests who are camping for two or three days genuinely want somewhere to freshen up. Offering paid shower access can be another strategic move to increase overall revenue.
Your Festival Restroom Plan: A Quick Checklist
Before you finalize your order, make sure you’ve covered:
- Total headcount and event duration
- Alcohol and food service factored into the unit count
- Standard unit placement for general admission
- Luxury trailer options for VIP and artists
- Vacuum restrooms for added sustainability benefits
- Placement mapped to high-traffic zones across the full grounds
- Service truck access confirmed for all unit locations
- Handwashing and hand sanitizer stations added to the plan
- At least one ADA-accessible unit per cluster of porta-potties
- Shower trailers considered for multi-day camping events
FAQ
Q: How far in advance should I book portable restrooms for a festival?
As early as possible! Kerkstra’s busiest season is Michigan summers, so if your event is planned for a peak summer weekend, be sure to book early to secure availability. Large-scale events requiring 50+ units should ideally be booked several months in advance.
Q: Do I really need luxury restroom trailers, or are standard units enough?
A: Standard units are a great option to accommodate large general admission crowds. If you are considering VIP tickets or have backstage talent, luxury trailers are worth considering. They provide a tangible feature to market.
Q: How often do units get serviced during a multi-day event?
A: Service frequency is based on usage. For large multi-day festivals, daily servicing is standard. Our team can help map out a schedule based on specific event factors and include a servicing schedule in your rental agreement.
Q: What makes vacuum restrooms different from standard porta-potties?
A: Vacuum restrooms use significantly less water and are designed as modular pods that connect together, making them highly scalable and much more eco-friendly.
Q: Do you serve events outside of Michigan?
A: For large-scale festivals, Kerkstra provides restroom services across Michigan and surrounding states. Contact us to confirm coverage for your event location.
Q: What happens if we underestimate and need more units at the last minute?
A: If you realize you need additional units after booking, reach out as early as possible, and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate. A perk of partnering with an elite supplier is access to resources for scalability!
Q: Are there rules about where portable restrooms have to be placed?
A: Local permits and ADA requirements may specify certain placement standards. Beyond compliance, proper placement is just good event management. Units need to be on level, firm ground and accessible to service trucks. Your Kerkstra expert can help you map a placement plan that works with your event layout.
Ready to Plan Your Event Restrooms?
Whether you’re coordinating a 500-person community fair or a 20,000-person music festival, Kerkstra has the units, capacity, and experience to handle it. Visit our festival and event page to explore options and connect with our team!