The working
Seated guests at round or trestle tables need 1.2–1.5 m² each once you allow for chairs pushed back and people walking between tables. For 50 guests:
- 50 × 1.4 m² = 70 m² — the seated requirement
- Add a dance floor at ~0.5 m² per guest: 50 × 0.5 = +25 m²
- Add a buffet or bar station: +10–15 m²
So a seated-only function of 50 fits a 5m × 10m at 50 m² only if guests are at long trestle tables and nothing else shares the tent. With round tables, allow the full 70 m².
Tent options for 50 guests
| What you are adding | Area needed | Tent size | Typical band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seated only, trestle tables | ~60 m² | 5m × 10m frame | R2,800–R4,200 |
| Seated, round tables | ~70 m² | 5m × 10m frame | R2,800–R4,200 |
| Seated + dance floor | ~95 m² | 7m × 12m frame | R4,500–R6,500 |
| Seated + dance + buffet | ~110 m² | 7m × 12m frame | R4,500–R6,500 |
| Standing cocktail | ~35 m² | 5m × 10m stretch | R1,650–R3,000 |
A stretch tent of the same footprint seats slightly fewer than a marquee — the curved fabric edges take usable floor area out at the perimeter.
The mistake to avoid
The common error is sizing to the seated number and then discovering the dance floor, the gift table, the cake table and the bar all have to come out of the same 70 m². By the time those are in, 50 guests are eating with their chairs against the tent wall. If the function has any standing element at all, size up one step — the price difference between a 5m × 10m and a 7m × 12m is roughly R1,700 to R2,300, which is less than the cost of getting it wrong.
Hiring a 50-guest tent in Pretoria
The 5m × 10m is the most-hired size in the Tshwane market and holds the widest stock — see the full range at tent hire in Pretoria. Local bands are on the frame tent hire price list, the full seat-count chart is in tent hire prices in Pretoria, and furniture rates are under tables and chairs for hire in Pretoria.
Common questions
How much does it cost to rent a tent for 50 people?
A 5m × 10m frame tent seating 50 runs R2,800–R4,200 including delivery and rigging. A peg-and-pole package at that size starts nearer R999–R1,800 where the ground takes pegs.
What size marquee for 50 guests with a dance floor?
Allow 70 m² for seating plus about 25 m² for dancing — roughly 95 m², which is a 7m × 12m tent at R4,500–R6,500.
How many tables does a 50-guest tent need?
Five round tables of ten, or six trestle tables of eight. Round tables take more floor area per guest but seat conversation better.