Planning any type of event means creating a space that meets the needs of all guests, and that often means ensuring that, when someone needs to use the restroom, there are plenty available. When a location does not have enough physical access points for visitors and eventgoers, portable restrooms can be a viable solution, allowing you to add more when needed. Yet, how many portable restrooms do you need?

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you consider this question.

How Many Guests?

The biggest factor in determining how many portable restrooms you need is the number of people in attendance. The more people you have, the more facilities need to be available so long lines don’t cause problems for your guests.

More so, if this is a day-long event, or you will be having the event numerous days in a row, it’s best to create a plan that allows for frequent cleaning and pumping to keep up with the demand for those bathrooms. Again, the more people there, the more frequent this needs to be.

Will Food be Served?

When people are eating at an event, like a food fair or carnival, they are more likely to need to use the bathroom than if there is no food. That’s due, of course, to physical need, but also because many people wash their hands before they eat, and visiting the restroom to do so is quite common.

Will Alcohol be Served?

Though there may not seem like a correlation, the fact is when alcohol is being consumed at an event, the need to use the restroom increases. In fact, you can expect toilet usage to increase by 30 to 40%. That means, again, you’ll need more access to facilities for your guests.

How Long Will the Event Last?

If your event is short, you may not need as many bathrooms as you would for a longer day. For example, if you expect people to remain at your location for two to three hours, you’ll need fewer bathrooms than an all-day event. A good example would be a craft fair. Most people will be at these locations for several hours, but not all day. A day-long marathon, concert, or fair would increase the time people spend at the location, increasing the need for more restrooms.

What’s the Weather Prediction?

Did you know that people need to use the restroom more often during warmer, hotter days? That’s often because they are drinking more fluids during these days, which triggers the need to have access to portable restrooms.

How Many Portable Restrooms Do You Need?

So, when it comes to event planning, where do you start? Here’s some basic information to help you plan how many portable restroom facilities you need to have at your event.

• If you’ll have about 125 people or fewer and the average length of time people will stay at the event is under 3 hours, aim for 2 portable restrooms. If the event is likely to last 6 hours, increase the number to 4 portable bathrooms. For any event lasting more than 6 hours, up your count to 5.
  
  
• If you plan to have 150 to 500 people, and the event is just 2 hours, you still likely only need 5 portable restrooms. However, if the event will last 4 hours, you should increase it to 6 and, for 8 hours or more, aim for at least 9.

If you’re unsure, just ask. At The Texas Loo, we can help you select the right number of portable restrooms to meet just about any need.