What is a marquee?
A marquee is a large function tent with straight walls and a pitched roof, built either on a freestanding aluminium frame or on centre poles held by pegged guy ropes. It is the formal end of tent hire Johannesburg: the structure that takes draping, flooring and a seated dinner.
Frame or peg-and-pole marquee on a Joburg site
The ground decides. A frame marquee stands on a freestanding aluminium skeleton weighted at the legs, so it rigs on the paving, tar and cobbles of Joburg's complexes and office parks where pegs are banned. A peg-and-pole marquee is the classic canvas silhouette — cheaper per seat, faster to rig — but it needs lawn or field that takes pegs, which suits school grounds, smallholdings and the township yards covered under tent hire in Soweto and tent hire on the East Rand.
| Frame marquee | Peg-and-pole marquee | |
|---|---|---|
| Stands on | Paving, tar, decking, grass | Lawn or firm soil only |
| Centre poles | None — clear interior | Yes — work around them |
| Hail behaviour | Rigid PVC roof sheds hail | Canvas handles standard hail; steep pitch helps |
| Price | From R1,850 | From R999 |
Glass marquees — the Sandton standard
Glass marquees carry Joburg's premium functions: product launches in Bryanston, estate weddings in Waterfall and year-end galas where the structure is part of the brand. Glazed walls hold the aircon in summer and the heat in winter, and the roofline photographs clean against a Highveld sunset. Book at least two months out — Gauteng glass stock is thin and December dates go first. Corporate packages are detailed under tent hire in Sandton & Midrand.
Marquee sizes for Joburg functions
Seated functions need 1.2–1.5 m² per guest: 5m × 10m carries 50 guests, 10m × 15m carries 100, 10m × 30m carries 200 and 15m × 30m carries 300. Dance-floor allowances and the rand band for each size are in the Joburg seat-count chart on the price page.
What a Joburg marquee quote covers
A Joburg marquee quote covers the truck, the rigging crew, plates or pegs to suit the surface, and the strike after the function. Summer hires carry sidewalls as standard, because a Highveld storm cell can arrive and clear within twenty minutes and the walls are what keep guests dry. Draping, lining, flooring, stages, lighting and heaters are priced as add-ons on tent hire prices in Johannesburg, with furniture under tables and chairs for hire in Johannesburg. The wedding build is set out in wedding tent hire in Johannesburg.
Common questions
How much does marquee hire cost in Johannesburg?
From R1,850 for a framed marquee package with tables and chairs. A dressed 100-guest wedding marquee costs R8,500–R18,000 in Johannesburg, and a glass marquee runs about twice the equivalent frame.
What is a glass marquee?
A glass marquee replaces PVC walls with glazed panels on an aluminium frame — a premium clear-walled structure used for Joburg corporate launches, estate weddings and winter functions where heating stays inside.
What size marquee do I need for 100 guests?
A 10m × 15m marquee: 100 seated guests take about 140 m² at Joburg function spacing. With a dance floor, step up to 10m × 20m.
Can a marquee stand on complex paving?
Yes — a frame marquee weighted with plates makes no holes, which is why Joburg body corporates approve it. Peg-and-pole structures need lawn.