There are 3 types of tents to choose from Canopy, Frame, and Pole.

  • Canopy Tents are lightweight and are designed to provide shade or protection from light rains. Perimeter staking is required and center poles every 10 feet are required. Our canopy tents allow solid and windowed side walls which is an important factor when choosing a company in Chicago to rent from. Most rental company tents are of lower quality and cannot support side walls. If there is a chance for rain, having the option to install sidewalls is invaluable. The ideal use for canopy tents is backyard parties and forest preserves, when there are less than 100 people. Canopy tents are for grass setups only.
  • Frame Tents are made of a reinforced vinyl or vinyl coated canvas stretched over an aluminum frame. Since they have no center poles, the inside area is unobstructed. Minimal staking or weighting (if any) is required and they are perfect for installation in areas where staking is not practical, i.e. parking lots, patios, decks, driveways, etc. Ideal use for frame tents is Information booths, Vendor booths, Walkways, Presentations Seating.
  • Pole Tents are supported by perimeter poles and center support poles. Pole tents require staking around the perimeter of the tent. Center support poles every 15 feet. (Be sure you have an additional 8′ to 10′ of space in addition to the tent size for staking.) Pole tents can be setup on grass or asphalt. For large events around Chicago, pole tents are usually the tent of choice.

Select a level area and make sure that you are not placing it in a low area where water will flow or accumulate if it should rain. If staking is required, be careful of the unseen underground factors that may affect the tent placement, i.e. sprinkler systems (checking the sprinkler timers is not a bad idea either), gas and water lines, and telephone and electrical conduit or wires. In most municipalities the local utility companies will be happy to visit the site and mark the locations of their pipes, wires, etc. If electrical service is required to the tent for lighting, etc. try to locate the tent in an area where power can be easily accessed and run to the tent. Electrical generators are also available for areas where electrical power is not readily available.

  • Sidewalls – Solid and windowed sidewalls are available on all of our tents. Windowed sidewalls offer an upscale appearance and will not require additional lighting during the day.
  • Fans/Air Movers/Heaters/Air Conditioners – Depending upon the expected ambient temperature, these options can greatly increase the level of comfort. (Tent sidewalls are needed when either of these options are used.)
  • Lighting – Lighting can be used for practical application (like to see what you are eating) or to create a desired effect or mood. Lighting is required when solid side walls are used. (unless you are doing a haunted house…)

Our prices include setup and tear down on all of our tent, table, chair rentals. Most companies charge extra. Delivery/Pickup charges are NOT included and are based on the distance to the delivery location.

We setup the day before your event and take down the next business day. For example, if you event was on Saturday, we would setup Friday and tear down on Monday. Don’t take the chance of the tent still going up while the guests are arriving which leaves no time for the you, the caterer or band to set up the area prior to guest arrival.

We carry a 3-million-dollar liability policy should any of our equipment cause damage or injure someone.

Party Tents have not changed much through history. Wikipedia has the definition as: A party tent is a temporary shelter consisting of fabric or other materials draped over or attached to poles and supporting rope. First used as portable homesteads by nomadic people, tents are now more often used for recreational camping and temporary special events.

When we say tents haven’t changed much, we mean fundamentally there is still fabric being stretched to provide shelter. The tents we rent in Chicago and throughout the country now come in a variety of types of party tents including pole tents, frame tents and clear span structures the basic idea remains the same. Imagine 100’s of years ago a special event like a grand wedding was taking place in the town and no building was big enough to hold the guests. The solution was “Tents”!

When you look back to old movies you see tents used in old rodeos, by Indians and of course the circus. What would a circus be without the atmosphere of the Big Top? Elephants still assist the workers in putting up the large center poles of the Big Tops all over the world. Where will tents be in the next 100 years? Probably not much different is our guess, just doing their thing: providing shelter from the elements while the guests inside enjoy the gala.

You are required by law to contact JULIE at least 48 business hours prior to installing the tent. JULIE, Inc. will notify local utility companies who will send a locator to mark their underground facilities using paint and/or flags. Once marked, you will know the approximate location of buried utility lines and can install your tent safely. If we are installing the tent we will contact JULIE, but we also need to give them 48 business hours to do the utility locates on your property. The call to JULIE and the services are free. Dial 811 or 800-892-0123.

Wedding or Garden Party
The typical wedding or garden party under a tent will require space for guests to be seated at round tables, as well as space for buffet, head tables, bars and dance floor. Although every party has unique requirements, the general rule for this type of party is to allow 18 square feet per guest.

Cocktail Parties
Since there isn’t the need for as much furniture at a cocktail party, minimal seating, smaller food stations, etc.) the space allowance can be reduced to 10-12 square feet per guest.

Ceremony or Row Seating
For wedding ceremonies or public assemblies, one must allow for the chairs, space between the rows, aisles, and space required for the podium and/or stage. The suggested allowance is 8 square feet per person.

Please remember no two functions are alike. Each event deserves to be looked at individually. Be sure to check with the caterer or band for any special needs.

One 5′ Round table with 8 to 10 chairs, consumes 100 sq. ft.

  • 5′ Round table seats 8 comfortably
  • 6′ Round table seats 10 comfortably
  • 6′ Rectangle table seats 6 to 8
  • 8′ Rectangle table seats 8 to 10

This chart will give you a guide to how many people fit under a tent with 3 different seating arrangements. The first arrangement is a formal sit-down arrangement that utilizes round tables. The round tables are typically used for weddings and black-tie events. It is not uncommon for casual events to use round tables since round tables allow eye contact with every person sitting at the table. The second arrangement is the Cafeteria Style arrangement that utilizes rectangle tables. The rectangle tables are 8 feet or 6 feet in length.

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We service the following areas in Illinois:

Addison, Algonquin, Alsip, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Barrington, Bartlett, Batavia, Bellwood, Bensenville, Berkley, Berwyn, Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Bridgeview, Broadview, Brookfield, Buffalo Grove, Burbank, Burr Ridge, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Cary, Chicago, Chicago Heights, Chicago Ridge, Cicero, Clarendon Hills, Crystal Lake, Darien, Deerfield, Deer Park, DeKalb, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Elmwood Park, Evanston, Evergreen Park, Forest Park, Franklin Park, Geneva, Glen Ellyn, Glencoe, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Hanover Park, Hazel Crest, Hickory Hills, Highland Park, Hillside, Hinsdale, Hodgkins, Hoffman Estates, Homer Glen, Inverness, Itasca, Joliet, Kenosha, Kenilworth, Kildeer, LaGrange, LaGrange Highlands, Indian Head Park, Lake Forest, Lemont, Libertyville, Lincolnwood, Lincolnshire, Lisle, Lockport, Lombard, Long Grove, Lyons, Maywood, Medinah, Melrose Park, Milwaukee, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Naperville, Niles, Norridge, Northbrook, Northlake, Oak Brook, Oak Brook Terrace, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Palatine, Palos Hills, Palos Heights, Palos Park, Park Ridge, Plainfield, River Forest, River Grove, Riverside, Riverwoods, Rockford, Rolling Meadows, Romeoville, Roselle, St. Charles, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Skokie, South Barrington, Villa Park, Warrenville, Waukegan, Wayne, Westchester, Western Springs, West Chicago, Westmont, Wheaton, Wheeling, Willowbrook, Willow Springs, Wilmette, Winnetka, Winfield, Wood Dale, Woodridge Illinois.

We do service additional areas on a case by case basis.