How many porta potties does a festival need?
A festival with 5,000 guests over 8 hours needs 50 porta potties by the PSAI chart, and 63 with alcohol served. A 10,000-guest, 10-hour festival needs 125 before the alcohol adjustment. Add at least 5% wheelchair-accessible units per cluster and 1 hand wash station per 10 toilets.
| Attendance | 6 hr | 8 hr | 10 hr | With alcohol (8 hr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 25 |
| 5,000 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 63 |
| 10,000 | 75 | 100 | 125 | 125 |
| 20,000 | 150 | 200 | 250 | 250 |
Do Texas festivals need a mass gathering permit?
A Texas festival needs a mass gathering permit from the county judge when it is outside city limits, expects more than 2,500 people, and runs more than 5 continuous hours or between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. The application is due at least 45 days ahead under Health and Safety Code Chapter 751. Dallas County asks for 60 days.
State sanitation rules for mass gatherings, 25 TAC §265.3, call for toilets "separate for each sex," at "no more than 50 persons per toilet seat," with handwashing near each toilet location (25 TAC §265.3; statute: Texas Health & Safety Code Ch. 751). Festivals inside a city follow that city's special event permit instead, such as Irving's Chapter 33B.
How are festival restrooms serviced during the event?
Festival restrooms are serviced during the event by a pump truck that cleans and restocks each cluster at set times, usually overnight for multi-day events and during low-traffic hours for single long days. Service lanes must stay open. Each visit pumps tanks, refills paper and sanitizer, and refills hand wash stations.
Plan a staging area for our truck and keep clusters within reach of a vehicle lane. Big North Texas festivals, such as Grapevine's GrapeFest on Main Street, show how many restrooms a crowd uses; plan for peaks right after headline acts.
Get festival porta potties in Irving
Tell us the ZIP, dates and crowd or crew size for an all-in price on one call. Same-day delivery when you call before noon. Phones answered 8:00 AM–7:00 PM.
Festival Porta Potties: questions we hear
How far ahead should I book festival units?
Book 2 to 3 months ahead for 20 or more units, especially for spring and fall weekends.
Do you provide restroom attendants?
Yes, attendants can be arranged for large or VIP areas.
Can you provide a site map for the permit?
Yes. We help mark cluster locations and counts for your permit application.
What about trash?
We handle restroom waste only. Arrange trash service separately with the city or a hauler.