This article looks at how many toilets are needed for a party? We look at how to calculate number of toilets required for an event.
When planning longer events outdoors, especially when guests begin drinking and eating, you need to consider how many toilets you need. Portable toilet hire services work with event organisers all the time, but what is the minimum number required?
How many toilets are needed per person at an event?
Whether you work in the events industry or are planning outdoor events for business, camping or festivals, you must arrange toilet facilities for guests. When customers, employees and members of the public are eating, drinking and socialising for many hours, you need the right number of toilets for the number of guests.
How many portable toilets do you need for these types of days and events? If you find yourself asking that question while organising your next office retreat, keep reading as we cover essential advice on toilet usage, cleaning and how many you need for an event outdoors.
Community Events
For outdoor community events, you are expected to provide toilet and washroom facilities for both women and men. This is one portable toilet for every 85 women and one for every 425 men, with a urinal unit for every 125.
This is for events with no food or drinks being served, as these will increase toilet usage, and you will need more toilets compared to events without beverages.
Alcohol and food
If you are serving any refreshments, alcohol or food at your event, you need the space for toilets. You should add 15-25% additional toilets when serving food, and sometimes more depending on the type of event and how many female visitors you're expecting.
If you're asking yourself how many toilets do you need for short events, too, you're better off putting it at the higher end of the scale, so you don't have guests waiting and queueing after eating and drinking.
Large music concerts, sporting events & festivals
With large events like summer fetes, festivals, concerts and sporting gatherings, especially where alcohol is served, you will need more toilets to cover the increased foot traffic.
A general rule of thumb is to have at least one toilet for every 75 women and one toilet for men, with urinals for every 100 men at the event.
Extra toilets for festival-goers will always benefit you in the long run, but you must adhere to the minimum requirements for longer events that plan to be held for 6+ hours.
How large is the event space
If your event covers a large area, you should ensure you have more toilets within closer ranges. This is one of the biggest factors to consider when evaluating how many toilets you need, as attendees are not expected to walk great distances and stay in long queues when at your event.
When combining a large event with food and drinks, you should figure out the scale of the area and how many toilets you would expect to have there.
Duration of event
How long the event will last is another good point to consider: people will visit the bathroom more frequently as the night continues, especially as they drink more alcohol and perhaps become drunker.
You shouldn't forget for maintenance breaks and staff breaks, especially at intervals at music gatherings and festivals. A minimum number of toilets are essential for workers and attendees.
Waste Disposal
When you hire portable toilets, you have to consider waste disposal. This is typically performed by an approved disposal facility, being removed from the site and disposed of safely.
You must be careful when dealing with human waste, as disease and illness can quickly spread. The health and safety of everyone using the toilet and coming into contact with the surfaces are at risk of becoming ill if you're not considering waste disposal.
What factors affect how many portable toilets you need?
While more toilets on a site can improve customer satisfaction, some guidelines and factors affect the overall number of portable toilets required.
Smaller events will have fewer guests: therefore, they require fewer toilets. Organisers can also spread these toilets out further, preventing people from getting caught out too far away from them.
You require more toilets the more female visitors your site will have. When more men attend an event, you need fewer toilets, but you would be wise to invest in more urinals.
While your budget isn't the determining factor as to how many toilets you need, you should consider this. If you have an expendable budget for your event, consider investing some of this into more toilets: it will make your event run smoother, especially if something goes awry with one of the units.
Cleaning toilets can take time, so having more you can depend on will save you stress.
Any event serving food and refreshments should consider increasing the number of toilets on-site. People will require bathroom facilities as they drink and eat more, especially as time passes.
Festivals (as they are typically longer and involve drinking and eating) will need more toilets than a shorter business gathering, for example. The type of event plays a huge part in how many toilets will be required.
Most importantly, you have to cater for how many guests will be at your event: the more guests, the more toilets.
How Many Portable Toilets Per Person?
The simple answer when looking at how many toilets you need per person at your event is:
1 toilet for every 100 women, and one per every 425 men. A urinal unit is required for every 125 men at any outdoor event.
Types of events
Here are the main types of events that will require portable toilets on site. While this isn't the whole list, this should provide information for you when organising events hiring porta potties.
You still have minimum requirements when planning small events, even if you're not serving food or drink. If the event is less than six hours, you should provide one toilet for every 100 women and one for every 425 men, with a urinal unit every 125.
Using this calculation, if you are expecting 600 people at your event with a 50/50 split of men and women, you must provide: 4 toilets 1 urinal unit
If your event is likely to last longer than six hours, but you're still not serving refreshments, our advice is to hire more toilets.
For long events, consider hiring one toilet for every 85 women and one for every 425 men.
When adding refreshments to your site, which are much larger, you need more toilets.
As people are eating and drinking, they will visit the toilet more frequently, so official guidance is one portable toilet for every 75 women and one for every 400 men.
ANY event serving alcohol will require more toilets, more urinals and regular cleaning and servicing.
Alcohol has many effects on the human bladder, but guests will visit the bathroom more often as they consume more alcohol. When alcohol is present, add 15%-20% more toilets than you think you would otherwise, just to be safe.
Organising festivals and overnight events require more toilets, as they will be used throughout the day and into the night. If people are bringing tents and staying overnight, this does give time for servicing and cleaning.
However, you will need extra toilets for your temporary shortfall during cleaning: you don't want people waiting at the dead of night. If you require professional toilet hire or need more information on how many portable toilets you need for your event, get in touch with our team today.
HOW TO CALCULATE THE NUMBER OF TOILETS REQUIRED
The number of toilets required at an event follows a formula or estimation of how often the toilets will be used using the above factors we've discussed.
For example, an event that lasts less than six hours with no refreshments will only require 1 toilet per 100 women and 1 toilet per 500 men.
When your event lasts longer than six hours but still has no refreshments present, you should have one toilet for 85 women and 1 toilet for every 425 men.
Urinal units become 1 per 125 men, although it's not uncommon for there to be more: as this is the minimum requirement.
For large-scale events where food and drinks are served, you need 1 toilet per 75 women and 1 toilet per 400 men.
The number of toilets required at an event follows a formula or estimation of how often the toilets will be used using the above factors we've discussed.
For example, an event that lasts less than six hours with no refreshments will only require 1 toilet per 100 women and 1 toilet per 500 men.
When your event lasts longer than six hours but still has no refreshments present, you should have one toilet for 85 women and 1 toilet for every 425 men. Urinal units become 1 per 125 men, although it's not uncommon for there to be more: as this is the minimum requirement.
For large-scale events where food and drinks are served, you need 1 toilet per 75 women and 1 toilet per 400 men.
Are you looking for construction site toilet hire in Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Gloucester, Stroud or Cirencester? Find out further information on Portable Toilet Hire Gloucester.