Guide · Festivals

How to run a brand stand at a festival.

A festival stand runs for long days, in changing weather, for a crowd that shifts by the hour. Here is how to choose the event, get the paperwork right, draw people in and keep the team going from gates open to the last visitor.

7 min read7 steps7 checks

Make a single list of every organiser deadline with an owner against each one. Missing one can mean no power, no vehicle access or staff stuck at the gate.The one thing to remember

Start here

From the right festival to the last visitor.

Everything that changes when your stand moves from a hall to a field. Follow the line; tap any point to read it.

Festival team in matching caps and tops on the Gin and Juice stand at Bournemouth 7s

01Step 1 of 7

Choose the festival for the crowd

Festivals vary far more than their posters suggest.

Music festivals
Food and drink
Running events
Family weekends
County shows

02Step 2 of 7

The exhibitor pack and the paperwork

Every festival sets its own rules in an exhibitor or traders pack.

Stand plans
Risk assessments
Insurance
Food hygiene
Power
Vehicle passes
Accreditation

Key pointMake a single list of every organiser deadline with an owner against each one. Missing one can mean no power, no vehicle access or staff stuck at the gate.

03Step 3 of 7

Team behind a table piled with bagel packs on grass in front of a red brick hall

The site, the weather and the kit

Check the site plan early.

RainMud, and crowds under cover
SunPeople looking for shade and water

04Step 4 of 7

Kinder ice cream team with their branded bike under a parasol at Reading Festival

Festival stand ideas that draw people in

Festival crowds respond to things that make the day better.

Shade
Somewhere to sit
A phone charge
A cold drink
A photo worth sharing
A quick game

05Step 5 of 7

Festival team jumping in front of the Gin and Juice stand

Rotas for long days

Festival days are long, often from the gates opening in the morning to late evening.

MorningCalmer
AfternoonThe biggest numbers
EveningTowards the stages and bars

06Step 6 of 7

Emmi Caffè Latte team smiling at their van at Oxford Foodies Festival

Looking after the team

Several days outdoors are hard work.

Water
Sun cream and hats
Waterproofs
Somewhere dry
Shade on breaks

07Step 7 of 7

Bar team behind a branded beer bar at Barcode Festival, Kenwood House

Sampling, bars and age checks

Sampling works at festivals when the sample suits the moment: a cold drink in the heat, a snack near the stages, coffee on a cold morning.

Handwashing
Temperature control
Allergen information
Age checks

Checklist

Before the gates open.

Ready for gates open.

Boots festival team member with a tablet at Latitude Festival

The festival day

How the day changes shape.

Who is on site at each part of a festival day, and what the stand needs.

Part of the day	Crowd	Plan for
Before gates	Team only	Set-up, stock, briefing
Gates open	Early arrivals, families	Stand ready, first rush
Midday	Building numbers	Shade, water, queues
Afternoon	Peak crowd	Full strength, breaks covered
Evening	Stages and bars	Pace and approach change
After close	Team only	Stock secured, stand reset

Common questions

Festival stands, answered.

How early should we book festival stand staff?

As soon as your pitch is confirmed. Accreditation deadlines come early, and named staff need to be submitted to the organiser in time.

How long are festival shifts?

Shifts are planned around the festival's opening hours and the peak periods, with overlapping start times and breaks away from the stand. Nobody should work the whole day without relief.

Do festival staff need accreditation?

Yes, at most festivals. Most issue named wristbands or passes for build, live days and breakdown, so staff details go to the organiser by the deadline in the exhibitor pack.

What do we need for sampling at a festival?

The organiser's approval, food hygiene arrangements, allergen information, a way to keep samples at the right temperature and enough people to keep the queue moving.

Can we serve alcohol on our stand?

Only within the site's licence and the organiser's rules, with age checks on every serve where needed. Agree the details with the organiser well before the event.

Sampling staff member on the Vital Fizz stand at Taste of London

Teams for long festival days.

EXECUTIONAL supplies stand teams, samplers and brand bar staff for festivals and outdoor shows across the UK, briefed before day one and managed through every shift. See our festival staff for the roles we cover.

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