For those of you who do outdoor markets, I want to quiz you about your gazebo! (forgive the super-newbie questions).
I’m thinking of getting a small one because I don’t have much storage space at home, and I’m wondering what sort of size would be the minimum? Do markets tend to have a standard size they expect gazebos to be?
Can anyone recommend a decent brand (that doesn’t cost the earth)? I’m looking at the different ones on Amazon, but they all seem to have quite mixed reviews for quality. It would need to be able to handle a bit of wind (I’m in the north of Scotland).
Any pointers appreciated!
(I’d also love to see photos of everyone’s setups, if you have one!)
We bought a 3m x 3m one a few years ago for outdoor events, that’s probably bigger than you were thinking of and really needs 2 people to put it up, but it’s been brilliant. We got sandbag weights for the legs (useful if you end up on a hard surface where you can’t put pegs in). Can’t recall the brand offhand, it’s stored in the roof at the moment, will have a look when I’m next up there. It’s one of the folding sort so there’s no assembly of separate bits, this was definitely worth paying a bit extra for as it saves a lot of time and swearing. The key thing is to get one that’s as robust as you can afford, it’s no good having spindly supports especially if you are in a windy environment! (Also we learned very quickly that although the detachable side panels keep the rain out, they act as sails when it’s windy so there’s a tradeoff between getting wet and being blown away!!!)
ETA It was Rock Awnings we got it from https://rockawnings.co.uk/gazebos
I have one which I use for outdoor markets. I went for an outdoor gazebo Event Dome Shelter Party Tent for Garden Camping from HM Star UK Ltd in London. It measures 3.5 x 3.5 mtr. Didn’t buy the sides which an option but it’s a great one and once I worked out the diagram to set it up, then it did two of us to set it up. Most Fair groups ask you take one along if it’s needed, but I always check whether it is an inside market and I don’t need tables etc. or where it’s an outside event and I have to bring my own gazebo. JUST CHECK on pricing as this model came from various companies with various costs. Ebay was where I purchased through.
I think the general size is 3m X 3m - we used to have one but can’t remember the make - we have now retired from doing outdoor events - far too much weather about. Highly recommend doing your homework and only buying something that comes highly recommended - not anything too flimsy - definitely a mistake we made and a hard lesson. I’ll see if I can find out what make ours was.
Some places use 2.4 x 2.4m as their standard space, so wise to check with your venue in advance. I mostly used my own 3 x 3m, or hired 2.4m from event organiser when necessary.
Definitely get the strongest you can afford, usually called Professional Pop-up or something like. Those little garden shelter things you see in garden centres are NOT good enough; I have seen one blown over almost hitting people, and all the seller’s lovely things soaked and blown around, because the gazebo was too flimsy.
Also as many leg weights and/or sandbags as possible. I also used old screenwash bottles filled with sand or gravel, because the handle made them easier to lug around than bags, and I could easily tie them to a guy-rope in a hurry if the wind suddenly picked up.
The adverts usually tell you how big the gazebo is when folded down, so you can check it fits into you car before you buy it!
If you do have a rainy day, remember to open it out to dry at home. Modern covers don’t go mouldy as easily as old canvas, but they still smell pretty bad if you leave closed up when wet.
I’ve managed to check what we had - a 3m X 3m rhino from Rock Awnings. It was quite an investment but it did the job brilliantly and we still managed to sell it for £100 five years later.
