You’ve got your whole festival covered with a Stretch Tent!

The great thing about festivals is they’re a massive coming together of people in the great outdoors to party under the sun the moon and the stars, with none of the worries about getting home at the end of the show, or taxis or traffic or bus and train times…

But if you’re planning any sort of festival in the UK – anywhere from London to Loch Lomond, Hertfordshire and the Home Counties to the Highlands of Scotland – you’re definitely going to need protection from the Great British Weather, even if the big event takes place at the height of summer. Not for us the luxury of those stark naked, totally uncovered and open to the elements stages you see in Spain, Croatia, Portugal and the like! 

Of course major festival-sized stages come with cover of their own – far bigger and higher than any kind of tent. But then there are the other ‘satellite’ stages at a large festival or main stages at smaller ones to consider – as well as bar and catering areas, VIP enclosures, DJ tents and even security bases and entrance/ticketing gates and a lot more besides. For some of these purposes an old-school marquee will serve the purpose quite adequately – but it can’t compare with a stunning stretch tent for sheer style and flair! Of course, given the location of this article, you probably won’t be all that surprised that we advise you to forget about marquees and go for a stretch tent. Ok, yes, we’re biased. But that bias isn’t just based on what we admit is a passion for these gorgeous things. It’s based on a cold, clinical assessment of the evidence too!

We can assure you we really know what we’re talking about here. OK, we’re total stretch tent nuts – but with very good reasons. Among which are the fact that at our headquarters in the leafy Hertfordshire countryside, yet just half an hour from central London, we also organise festivals and corporate events of our own – and naturally we use our stretch tents to make each and every one of those events a real occasion. 

And here’s why.

For a start, they’re just so much sexier! We think oblong marquees and A-frames look bulky, ungainly and very ordinary by comparison. They’re also incredibly versatile. The clue’s in the name – they stretch and bend, adapting effortlessly to fit into pretty much any setting, unlike a marquee or a rigid A-frame, whose shape and size are fixed. They’ll even sit happily on uneven, sloping ground or multi-level terrain and if there’s something getting in the way – a statue, perhaps, a shrub, a wall or some steps – they can curve around and embrace it, turning an obstacle into a talking point. And although you won’t get a stretch tent over something like the Glastonbury Pyramid stage, you’ll be amazed by the vast expanses they can cover, simply by joining together a series of tents with a proven waterproof guttering system.

Finally, let’s debunk a common misconception about stretch tents – that they’re only suitable for summer. Nope – absolutely not the case. Given their wide open and welcoming Bedouin-inspired aspect you could be forgiven for thinking they’re not up to the challenge of a British winter but part of their beauty is you can pull the sides right down to keep out the wind and rain – and even add skirts, sides and doorways too for total weatherproofing.

Last but by no means least, they’re so quick and easy to rig and de-rig, they save you money too!

Click here to find out more about how a stretch beats a marquee for a festival